Lady Katherine Grey: A Dynastic Tragedy

Lady Katherine Grey was a key candidate to succeed Elizabeth I as queen of England, but her marriage to Edward Seymour, earl of Hertford, led to their imprisonment and separation, and their marriage was declared unlawful and their sons illegitimate. She died at the age of 27.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2023
Publisher: The History Press Ltd

When Elizabeth I passed away in 1603, James VI of Scotland, the son of the executed Mary, Queen of Scots, ascended to the throne of England. However, according to Henry VIII's last will and testament, there was another candidate with the utmost right to succeed Elizabeth: Edward Seymour, the son of Lady Katherine Grey. During the early years of Elizabeth's reign, Katherine, the sister of the ill-fated Jane, was regarded by many at court as the heir presumptive. However, Katherine incurred Elizabeth's lasting displeasure when she secretly married Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, and bore him two sons. The couple was first imprisoned in the Tower of London, then later separately placed under house arrest, never to see one another again. A commission declared their marriage unlawful and their sons illegitimate. Heartbroken, Katherine died at the age of 27. Katherine was not simply a tragic figure but a leading candidate to succeed Elizabeth and thus a figure of national and international significance. In Lady Katherine Grey, her dynastic importance is brought to the forefront.

When Elizabeth I passed away in 1603, James VI of Scotland, the son of the executed Mary, Queen of Scots, ascended to the throne of England. However, according to Henry VIII's last will and testament, there was another candidate with the utmost right to succeed Elizabeth: Edward Seymour, the son of Lady Katherine Grey. During the early years of Elizabeth's reign, Katherine, the sister of the ill-fated Jane, was regarded by many at court as the heir presumptive. However, Katherine incurred Elizabeth's lasting displeasure when she secretly married Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, and bore him two sons. The couple was first imprisoned in the Tower of London, then later separately placed under house arrest, never to see one another again. A commission declared their marriage unlawful and their sons illegitimate. Heartbroken, Katherine died at the age of 27. Katherine was not simply a tragic figure but a leading candidate to succeed Elizabeth and thus a figure of national and international significance. In Lady Katherine Grey, her dynastic importance is brought to the forefront.

Weight: 612g
Dimension: 240 x 161 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780750999700