Lady Mary Grey
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Lady Mary Grey (1545–20 April 1578), sometimes spelled Marie, was the third and last daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Lady Frances Brandon. She 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. Mary Tudor was the daughter of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York and a younger sister of Henry VIII of England. As great-grandchildren of Henry VII, Mary and her sisters were potential heirs to the throne.
Mary Grey was described as the smallest person at court, crooked backed and 'very ugly'. Her reported deformity could be described as kyphosis.
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, and Edward was succeeded by his older half-sisters, Mary I, and then Elizabeth I.
Queens Mary and Elizabeth were both childless, so the surviving Grey sisters were considered likely heirs to the throne. Catherine Grey died in 1568. This brought Lady Mary Grey to relative prominence. She was the last surviving grandchild of Mary Tudor. Catherine Grey's children were considered illegitimate, so some regarded Mary as heiress presumptive to the English throne. Mary was under house arrest at that time, having been imprisoned in 1565 for marrying royal gatekeeper Thomas Keyes without the permission of Queen Elizabeth. She was released following his death in 1572 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 at age 33.
[edit] References
- Britannia.com
- Life in Elizabethan England
- De Lisle, Leanda (2009). The Sisters Who Would Be Queen; the Tragedy of Katherine, Mary, & Lady Jane Grey. London: HarperPress. ISBN 978-0-00-721905-6.
