The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: The tragedy of Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: The tragedy of Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey
Leanda de Lisle

‘Leanda de Lisle brings the story of nine days’ queen, Lady Jane Grey and her forgotten sisters, the rivals of Elizabeth I, to vivid life in her fascinating biography’ Philippa GregoryThe dramatic untold story of the three tragic Grey sisters, all heirs to the Tudor throne, all victims to their royal blood.Lady Jane Grey is an iconic figure in English history. Misremembered as the ‘Nine Days Queen’, she has been mythologized as a child-woman destroyed on the altar of political expediency. Behind the legend, however, was an opinionated and often rebellious adolescent who died a passionate leader, not merely a victim. Growing up in Jane’s shadow, her sisters Katherine and Mary would have to tread carefully to survive.The dramatic lives of the younger Grey sisters remain little known, but under English law they were the heirs – and rivals – to the Tudor monarchs Mary and Elizabeth I. The beautiful Katherine ignored Jane’s dying request that she remain faithful to her beliefs, changing her religion to retain Queen Mary’s favour only to then risk life and freedom in a secret marriage that threatened Queen Elizabeth’s throne.While Elizabeth’s closest adviser fought to save Katherine, her younger sister Mary remained at court as the queen’s Maid of Honour. Too plain to be considered significant, it seemed that Lady Mary Grey, at least, would escape the burden of her royal blood. But then she too fell in love, and incurred the queen’s fury.Exploding the many myths of Lady Jane’s life and casting fresh light onto Elizabeth’s reign, acclaimed historian Leanda de Lisle brings the tumultuous world of the Grey sisters to life, at a time when a royal marriage could gain you a kingdom or cost you everything.This is the true story behind Philippa Gregory’s The Last Tudor and the only authoritative history book about the Grey sisters.

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen

The Tragedy of Mary, Katherine & Lady Jane Grey

Leanda de Lisle

Dedication (#ulink_6d318dda-c82d-5776-a8fe-21ca61034bce)

For Peter, Rupert, Christian and Dominic, with love

Epigraph (#ulink_22a2f720-ca13-547a-86d4-212fe65a8740)

‘Such as ruled and were queens were for the most part wicked, ungodly, superstitious, and given to idolatry and to all filthy abominations as we may see in the histories of Queen Jezebel’

THOMAS BECON 1554

Contents

Title Page (#u4ce006ad-8492-50a5-bf64-966f9edc8b38)

Dedication (#u50c7f7b6-154b-5cd8-98d3-cc614957df6e)

Epigraph (#ubca3801d-2349-5768-aeb5-710297ffbb87)

Family Trees (#u79c38efd-111f-5980-be90-762b077ffa66)

Prologue (#ud58ad17f-82ff-52e8-abd9-6ab891b26e24)

PART ONE Educating Jane (#u36188634-67fc-542a-ae65-c3d60384b6f3)

Chapter I Beginning (#u5c6be49f-0e0b-5a1d-a89a-78e82fc5c61c)

Chapter II First Lessons (#ud4843c4a-e58a-5f89-a945-df48e81eda6f)

Chapter III Jane’s Wardship (#u01917c50-2888-5fbd-b4a1-97dd15ca477a)

Chapter IV The Example of Catherine Parr (#u72f42c0e-2859-5a85-90e3-8d0d51363191)

Chapter V The Execution of Sudeley (#ub70ed122-5793-518b-b20c-c3a180629881)

Chapter VI Northumberland’s ‘Crew’ (#u3a2fa8a9-24de-5286-bf94-02c269947db9)

Chapter VII Bridling Jane (#u00105c1b-c8a1-56dd-aaa6-390acb10faa6)

Chapter VIII Jane and Mary (#u5d7003c5-4095-54f5-908c-70d90fcbeb17)

PART TWO Queen and Martyr (#u3c40f5df-940a-550c-b0cd-c89632e3766c)

Chapter IX No Poor Child (#u5c7404df-d96d-56e1-b732-2a6148f3a654)

Chapter X A Married Woman (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XI Jane the Queen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XII A Prisoner in the Tower (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XIII A Fatal Revolt (#litres_trial_promo)

PART THREE Heirs to Elizabeth (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XIV Aftermath (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XV Growing Up (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XVI The Spanish Plot (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XVII Betrothal (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XVIII A Knot of Secret Might (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XIX First Son (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XX Parliament and Katherine’s Claim (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXI Hales’s Tempest (#litres_trial_promo)

PART FOUR Lost Love (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXII The Lady Mary and Mr Keyes (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXIII The Clear Choice (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXIV While I Lived, Yours (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXV The Last Sister (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXVI A Return to Elizabeth’s Court (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXVII Katherine’s Sons and the Death of Elizabeth (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXVIII The Story’s End (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Author’s Note (#litres_trial_promo)