Lee Porritt (owner of Lady Jane Grey Revisited)
Lady Jane is often referred to as the ‘nine days Queen’, however to me she was Queen for thirteen days. The ‘nine days Queen’ is a common misconception, that appears to relate to the Victorian period, when Jane’s story was being widely published and access to contemporary information was not as accessible as it is today.
The days of Jane’s short reign has often been counted from when she made her first public appearance as Queen at the Tower of London and her public proclamation was read aloud on the 10th July 1553. Like with all monarchs, Jane’s reign officially started at the death of her predecessor and had she remained on the throne, then the 6th July would today be classed as her accession date.
Edward’s death was initially kept a secret, as a way of making the preparations to secure Queen Jane’s position. In the days following Edward’s death the Privy Council were working hard in Jane’s name to complete this desired outcome. Accounts do differ as to when Jane was actually informed of Edward’s death, however we do know that Jane herself was being called Queen and treated in a manner completely different to what she was used to in the days between the Kings death and the 10th July. The new Queen also attended a banquet in her honor on the evening of the 9th July at Syon House prior to the public proclamation.
It also appears that Jane herself had some prior knowledge of what was about to happen to her. All close to her knew about the plan to make her Queen and Jane herself reports that she was informed of the plan by the Duchess of Northumberland in the weeks prior to Edward’s death.
What we do know is that when we dig a little deeper into the contemporary accounts from 1553, we see that her reign lasted a little longer than what is traditionally believed and counted. The crown was not thrust upon the innocent and unaware Lady Jane on the 10th July, which is often portrayed in historical fiction, art, and movie adaptations, however a reluctant Queen Jane was thrust upon the unaware public and had been treated and honored as Queen in the days prior.
Gemma Hollman (author of Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville)
I would say she was ‘Queen’ for 9 days, as it was a contested succession and so the dates should go from when she was officially proclaimed to when Mary was officially proclaimed, which would make it 9 days (as opposed to other monarchs who would accede from the moment of the previous monarch’s death).
