Lady Mary Grey
Encyclopedia
Lady Mary Grey sometimes spelled Marie, was the third and youngest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
and Lady Frances Brandon. Mary was described as the smallest person at court, crooked backed and "very ugly". Her reported deformity could be described as kyphosis
.
Mary was a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey
and Lady Catherine Grey
. Her maternal grandparents were Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
and Mary Tudor
, former Queen consort of France
, who was the younger daughter of King Henry VII of England
.
As great-grandchildren of Henry VII, Mary and her sisters were potential heirs to the throne. When King Edward VI of England
died in 1553, the Duke of Northumberland
tried to make Mary's eldest sister Jane Queen. This intrigue failed, ending in Jane's execution; Edward was instead succeeded by his older half-sisters, Mary I
, and then Elizabeth I
.
Since Queens Mary and Elizabeth were both childless, the surviving Grey sisters were considered likely heirs to the throne, and were not permitted to marry without Elizabeth's permission. In 1565, Mary was imprisoned for having married in 1563 royal gatekeeper
Thomas Keyes
, without the permission of Queen Elizabeth. The marriage surprised some at court, since Keyes was an unusually large man whose height contrasted with that of the tiny Mary; William Cecil
wrote to Sir Thomas Smith,
When Catherine Grey died in 1568, Mary was brought to relative prominence as the last surviving grandchild of Mary Tudor. Since Catherine Grey's children were considered illegitimate, some regarded Mary as heiress presumptive to the English throne. She remained under house arrest until 1572 following the death of Keyes in 1571, and was permitted to attend Court occasionally.
In spite of the intrigues involving her sisters, it does not appear that Mary Grey ever made a serious claim to the throne. She died childless and in some poverty, in 1578, aged 33.
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, KG was an English nobleman of the Tudor period and the father of Lady Jane Grey.-Henry VIII's reign:...
and Lady Frances Brandon. Mary was described as the smallest person at court, crooked backed and "very ugly". Her reported deformity could be described as kyphosis
Kyphosis
Kyphosis , also called roundback or Kelso's hunchback, is a condition of over-curvature of the thoracic vertebrae...
.
Mary was a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
and Lady Catherine Grey
Lady Catherine Grey
Lady Catherine Grey , Countess of Hertford, was the younger sister of Lady Jane Grey. A granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary, she was a potential successor to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, but incurred Elizabeth's wrath by her secret marriage to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford...
. Her maternal grandparents were Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
and Mary Tudor
Mary Tudor (queen consort of France)
Mary Tudor was the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England and queen consort of France through her marriage to Louis XII. The latter was more than 30 years her senior. Following his death, which occurred less than two months after her coronation as his third wife, she married Charles Brandon,...
, former Queen consort of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, who was the younger daughter of King Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.
As great-grandchildren of Henry VII, Mary and her sisters were potential heirs to the throne. When King Edward VI of England
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
died in 1553, the Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
tried to make Mary's eldest sister Jane Queen. This intrigue failed, ending in Jane's execution; Edward was instead succeeded by his older half-sisters, Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, and then Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
Since Queens Mary and Elizabeth were both childless, the surviving Grey sisters were considered likely heirs to the throne, and were not permitted to marry without Elizabeth's permission. In 1565, Mary was imprisoned for having married in 1563 royal gatekeeper
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper or gatekeeping may refer to:* Gatekeeper , a professional boxer who is considered a test for aspiring boxers* Gatekeeping , a person or organization who manages or constrains a flow of knowledge...
Thomas Keyes
Thomas Keyes
Thomas Keyes was the Royal Gatekeeper to the Queen regnant, Elizabeth I of England. He married her Majesty's cousin, Lady Mary Grey in 1564 without her consent. Upon hearing the ill-advised ceremony had taken place, Elizabeth is said to have declared with great wrath, ".....
, without the permission of Queen Elizabeth. The marriage surprised some at court, since Keyes was an unusually large man whose height contrasted with that of the tiny Mary; William Cecil
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
wrote to Sir Thomas Smith,
- "The Sergeant Porter, being the biggest gentleman at Court, hath married secretly the Lady Mary Grey, least of all the Court".
When Catherine Grey died in 1568, Mary was brought to relative prominence as the last surviving grandchild of Mary Tudor. Since Catherine Grey's children were considered illegitimate, some regarded Mary as heiress presumptive to the English throne. She remained under house arrest until 1572 following the death of Keyes in 1571, and was permitted to attend Court occasionally.
In spite of the intrigues involving her sisters, it does not appear that Mary Grey ever made a serious claim to the throne. She died childless and in some poverty, in 1578, aged 33.