July 10, 1553, Lady Jane Grey was placed on the throne as queen of England and Ireland. She was to reign only nine days.
Jane did not wish to claim the crown after the death of her cousin Edward VI on July 6. She was used as an instrument by John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, and her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, in order to circumvent Henry VIII's will and seize power. Lady Jane had a reputation as one of the most learned women of her day. She is sometimes reckoned the first Queen regnant of England.
Jane was given a private execution on the Tower Green (as fitting for one of the royal blood) on February 12, 1554. Lady Jane Grey's claimed rule of less than two weeks in July 1553 is the shortest rule of England in the history of the country. Popular history sometimes refers to Lady Jane as "The Nine Days' Queen"
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