Clips of Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Jane Grey from the film 'Lady Jane'.
Lady Jane Grey was the daughter of Frances Brandon and Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk. Her mother Frances was the daughter of Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's youngest sister. As such Frances was Henry VIII's niece and Jane was his great niece.
In 1543 parliament passed an Act of Succession whereby Henry laid out who in his family were entitled to a position within the English succession. All his children were granted places and in the occasion that they all died childless, the throne was to pass to the eldest child of his sister Mary. This was Frances. So Frances and Jane both had a claim to the throne.
However in July 1553, Henry VIII's son Edward VI was dying, probably of tuberculosis. Edward was a fervent Protestant and detested the idea that his Catholic sister Mary was his heir. So Edward created his 'device' for the succession whereby he removed both his sisters from the succession and left the throne instead to Frances and her heirs. Frances immediately renounced her claim and Jane became queen. However the legality of Edward's actions were highly questionable as he had rejected an act of parliament without employing parliament to dissolve it. On top of that there was popular support for Mary and even many Protestants viewed Jane's succession as being unfair. She was deposed after 'reigning' for little over a week. Mary pardoned her but she remained imprisoned as she could be a series opponent. A year later her father foolishly participated in a rebellion against Mary in Jane's name and Mary was convinced that both he and Jane had to go. She was executed in February 1554.
In regards to the beginning scene in the clip -- this is based on a true event although things have been slightly changed for the film. We have an account that in the summer of 1550 the scholar and royal tutor John Ascham visited the Suffolks and when he arrived he discovered that most of the family had gone hunting. He discovered Jane in her chamber reading Plato's Phaedo in Greek 'with as much delight as some gentlemen would read a merry tale in Boccaccio'. When he asked her why she was not outside hunting with everyone else, she claimed that she found more joy in Plato than in sports.
In this drama they depict John Feckenham as being the man who sees Jane reading Plato. This is incorrect. Feckenham was the one who was sent to Jane days before her death in attempt to convince her to convert to Catholicism.
Tags: Lady Jane Grey Helena Bonham Carter Tudor Edward VI Patrick Stewart
