Lady Jane Grey, a 15-year-old girl, became the Queen of England for 12 days. She holds the record as the shortest reigning monarch in world history. After the death of Henry VIII, his younger son Edward VI became King of England. He was the first king raised as a Protestant. Edward was a devoted Protestant and followed the path of his father, continuing the Protestant Reformation. Lady Jane Grey, also a Protestant, was King Edward’s cousin. After six years of rule, the boy king fell ill and passed away. Before his death, he signed a will stating that Lady Jane Grey would be the ruler. Edward VI feared that his older sister Mary would restore Catholicism in England, but she was the rightful ruler after Edward VI’s death according to the 1547 Succession Act.At the time of King Edward VI’s death, Mary was 37 years old and had gained popularity among the English people. Lady Jane Grey had the support of Northumberland and his followers, but the English people did not want Lady Jane Grey as their queen. On July 10, 1553, Lady Jane Grey became the Queen of England. Mary assembled an army at Framlingham Castle, Suffolk. Northumberland’s supporters collapsed, and Lady Jane Grey was deposed on July 14 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Lady Jane Grey married Lord Guilford Dudley in 1553, and he was also imprisoned in the Tower of London.
