Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland, is one of my favourite figures from Tudor history—and for good reason. Her story is one of resilience, faith, and immense tragedy. She lived through one of the most tumultuous periods in English history, lost her husband and children to the axe, and yet, she carried on. Today, on the anniversary of her death, I'm exploring her life and legacy.
Jane was born in 1508 or 1509 in Kent and was the daughter of Sir Edward Guildford, who served Henry VIII as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and his first wife, Eleanor West. In 1512, John Dudley, son of Edmund Dudley, who had been executed by Henry VIII for high treason in 1510, joined Jane’s father’s household as a ward. Jane married John Dudley in 1525 and the couple went on to have 13 children: sons Henry, Thomas, John, Ambrose, Robert, Guildford, another Henry and Charles, and daughters Mary, Katherine, Temperance, Margaret and another Katherine.
Jane served as a lady-in-waiting to Queens Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves, and she was a reformer, corresponding with Protestant martyr Anne Askew during the latter’s time in prison.
In 1548, Jane was in such poor health that she nearly ended up having a leg amputated, but thankfully recovered. In May 1553, at Durham House in London, the Dudley family home, Jane’s son, Guildford, married Lady Jane Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and Frances Brandon. Then, in July 1553, following King Edward VI’s death, Jane’s husband, John Dudley, who had led the king’s government as Lord President, supported the accession of his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey as Queen Jane, according to the terms of Edward’s devise for the succession. However, Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary, proclaimed herself queen and rallied enough support to enable her to take the throne. Members of the Dudley family, including Jane Dudley, were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Jane was soon released and tried to intercede with Mary for her husband and sons.
In a matter of months, Jane saw her world collapse. Her husband, John Dudley, once one of the most powerful men in England, was dragged to the scaffold on 22nd August 1553. Her young son, Guildford, followed soon after, alongside her daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days Queen. And although her other sons were released from the Tower, the eldest, John, died soon after his release. To lose one loved one is unbearable—but to lose three to the executioner's block? It’s hard to fathom the grief she endured. It’s not surprising that Jane died shortly after these events, passing away at Chelsea on this day in Tudor history, 15th January 1555. Her surviving children included Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick; Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and favourite of Elizabeth I, and Mary Sidney, mother of poets Philip and Robert Sidney.
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