Lord Guildford Dudley | |
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Consort of the English monarch | |
Tenure | 10 July 1553 – 19 July 1553 |
Born | c. 1535 |
Died | 12 February 1554 (age 18–19) Tower Hill, London, England |
Burial | Church of St Peter ad Vincula, London |
Spouse | |
Father | John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland |
Mother | Jane Guildford |
Lord Guildford Dudley (also spelt Guilford) (c. 1535[1] – 12 February 1554) was an English nobleman who was married to Lady Jane Grey. She occupied the English throne from 10 July until 19 July 1553, having been declared the heir of King Edward VI. Guildford Dudley had a humanist education and married Jane in a magnificent celebration about six weeks before the King's death. After Guildford's father, the Duke of Northumberland, had engineered Jane's accession, Jane and Guildford spent her brief rule residing in the Tower of London. They were still in the Tower when their regime collapsed and remained there in different quarters as prisoners. They were condemned to death for high treason in November 1553. Queen Mary I was inclined to spare their lives, but Thomas Wyatt's rebellion against Mary's plans to marry Philip of Spain led to the young couple's execution, a measure that was widely seen as unduly harsh.