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of Suffolk with Charles Brandon and daugher of the current Duchess of Suffolk. Born in 1537 of this coveted royal lineage, Jane was her whole life groomed for such greatness as one of the few existing descendents of Henry VII in a world where heirs were in short supply and didn't often live long enough to assume their thrones predictably. By stern and demanding guardians she was taught to dance, walk and joylessly act the part of a courtier.

But she was an unwitting part of these plans. Jane was described as bookish, simple and unassuming, and preferred quiet reflection on the scriptures and her Protestant faith to dancing, fancy dress and jewels or courtly scheeming. She was plain and had little ambition, and when she was told of Edward's plans by her father and father-in-law, John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland, she was said to have fallen to the ground to beg to be spared the fate.

But six weeks before young King Edward died, the young teen-aged couple Guilford Dudley and Jane Grey were married in a hurried, unhappy ceremony. It was said that the consummation was forced and observed by the parentts so that there would be no question as to the validity of the marriage. That was likely the only time the couple was together as man and wife, as the young Guilford was not quite up to the task himself.

The plan started to sour when Northumberland, who had married Jane to his weakling son, Guilford, so that he might control his son who could reign as a co-monarch, realized a few unfortunate things when it was a bit too late for them to turn back before it was tragically too late: Jane may not let him have the power he had schemed for after all. She was right to resist his attempts to control her Queenship, even though she didn't want it for herself.

She was smart enough to understand the proper role of Queen if it was to be hers, as she would have weilded it carefully and righteously. At only sixteen she showed her father-in-law, Lord Dudley, that she was not going to be the puppet that he would have needed her to be so that Dudly could have controlled the realm through her. When she heard that two crowns were being crudely crafted for herself and Guilford she became alarmed that it didn't sound right, telling Dudldy "Well, perhaps he can become an Earl, but King is not a title that is mine to give away."

In addition to his alarm at realizing he wouldn't be able to boss Jane around quite so easily, power was eroding in favor of the Pincess Mary, who would have

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