Henry Grey (c.1500-1554)

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Historian James D. Taylor gathers in one volume all known historical information regarding Henry Grey, father of Lady Jane Grey. Descended from a distinguished and noble heritage that produced two queens, Henry Grey gave up a comfortable, quiet and leisurely life to become one of the most powerful and influential men in England next to the king. His influence was so strong that, working in alliance with the Duke of Northumberland, he was able to coerce the young King Edward VI, on his deathbed, to change the order of succession to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne when Edward died, making Henry Grey the father of the Queen.

About the Book

Documents trace the Grey lineage back as far as 1100 CE. This venerable family was intermingled with many other well placed and ambitious figures of medieval England, and these axes of power and influence all came into play upon the death of the young King Edward VI. Alliances and conspiracies first put Jane on the throne, then brought Henry VIII's daughter Mary to claim the crown herself.In the end, Henry Grey brought destruction upon his daughter and himself, as they were sent to the executioner within a week of each other. The tensions and emotions of this high-stakes game can be sensed from the documentary record. A genealogy of the Grey family, descriptive information on Henry Grey's wife Frances Brandon - an ambitious granddaughter of King Henry VII, a list of Knights made by King Edward VI and other historical documents accompany the text. The author also presents some dramatic narratives from the 1700s and 1800s which add flavor to the story.

Introduction

My intent for this book is not to place Henry Grey in a positive or negative light; instead, it is to provide essentially all the known historical information regarding the man.Henry Grey, descended from a distinguished and noble heritage that produced two queens, gave up a comfortable, quiet and leisurely life to become one of the most powerful and influential men in England. His influence was so strong that, working in alliance with the Duke of Northumberland, was able to coerce the young and dying King Edward VI to change the order of succession to the crown, making his daughter, Lady Jane Grey, next in line for the throne, so that Henry Grey became the father of the Queen of England.The task of pulling together all reliable information on a subject is not as simple as it might sound. We are living in the information age, yet with all our quick and easy access to a multitude of information, too much is incorrectly recorded and repeated. Many people do not take the time to review the original source information to determine whether it is accurate.Even verifying such fundamental facts as Henry Grey s birth year and the year of his first marriage were problematic. These issues and several others are addressed in this publication and corrected. Compounding these difficulties was another Henry Grey, actually Sir Henry de jure Lord Grey of Ruthin, the fourth Earl of Kent, who lived during the same time as our Henry Grey. It appears that this Lord Grey of Ruthin has been a source of confusion in both early and recent accounts of the period when brief accounts are given of Henry Grey.I have also encountered a few modern historians who have labeled Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, as "that most stupid of peers" and "surely the most empty-headed peer of England." But as I reviewed and accumulated information about the man for this book, a much different image emerged. He may have miscalculated, but surely no empty-headed person could not have come so close to glory.

Table content

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Grey Ancestry

Chapter 2. Prosperity

Chapter 3. Jane the Queen

Chapter 4. A Little Rebellion

Chapter 5. Conclusion

Appendix I. Officers of State during the majority of the period of this book.

Appendix II. Knights elected in the time of King Edward VI Appendix IV. The "Lane Letters"

Appendix III. Autographs of some of the main characters in this book Appendix VI. A Story of Frances Brandon

Appendix IV. Fifth Decade dedication from Henry Bullinger to Henry Grey.

Bibliography

Index