Guildford Dudley

*disputed*

 

Depiction by Richard Burchett (c. 1840)

Name: Lord Guildford Dudley

Birth name: Guildford Dudley

Born: c. 1535, Kingdom of England

Father: Sir John Dudley

Mother: Lady Jane Guildford

House: N/A

Nationality: English

Religion: Protestantism 

Consort of: Jane 

Reign: 10 July 1553 - 19 July 1553 (9 days)

Coronation: N/A

Predecessor: Katherine Parr *disputed*

Successor: N/A

Died: 12 February 1554 (aged 19), London, Middlesex, Kingdom of England

Cause: Execution by decapitation

Burial: Tower of London

Motto: N/A 

Spouse(s):

• Queen Jane of England and Ireland (m. 1553 - 1554) 

Children:

• N/A 

Appearance:
He was described as handsome, with fair hair.
 
Character:
He was described as a 'virtuous and goodly gentleman'. 

He was a supporter of the Protestant Reformation within England, and he appears to have had a mainly positive relationship with his wife, demonstrating supportive behaviour. 

He may have also been ambitious due to his wife's claim to the throne and the insistence that he be recognised as king.
 
Biography:
Guildford was born sometime around 1535 in the Kingdom of England to Lord Dudley and Lady Guildford, who would later become the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. He grew up with twelve siblings and was brought up within a staunch Protestant household, receiving a decent education with a focus on humanist ideology. His father became a councillor to King Edward VI of England. 
 
In 1553, he married Lady Jane Grey at the age of 18 while she was 16. However, at the wedding, he contracted food poisoning, but would soon recover.

King Edward VI also fell ill around this time, and knew he was soon to die. To avoid his Catholic sister inheriting the throne and reversing the Protestant Reformation, he decided to bypass his father's will, and named his cousin, Guildford's wife, Jane, as his heir. His wife, however, did not want to accept the crown, viewing it as not her place to do so, but relatives eventually pressured her into doing so. Guildford would comfort her during this process. 
 
The issue arose as to whether Guildford would be labelled as king, as there had never officially been a female monarch in her own right before. Guildford wanted to be king, but Jane only wanted to make him a duke, which infuriated Guildford's parents. Despite this, he oversaw council meetings and insisted people address him with regal titles. All the while, Mary, arguably the true heir to the throne, was gathering popular support, and demanded Jane's surrender. Many of his wife's supporters switched sides and abandoned her. 
 
Mary became Queen Mary I of England, and Guildford was arrested alongside Jane and other family members. Initially, Mary did not wish for them to be executed, but in order to maintain her power, due to the risk of rebellions possibly attempting to reinstate Jane as queen, she was forced to do so. 

Guildford wished to see his wife before his death, but Jane denied him, saying it would be too painful for them both. 

In 1554, Guildford bravely met his death, and was executed via one stroke of the axe in the Tower of London, with his wife watching the whole scene.  

Rule:

Only reigning for nine days, Guildford was unable to achieve anything of significance, other than his strong support for his wife, and attending council meetings.

  

Trivia:

• His reign as consort is the shortest in English history at just nine days.

 

Quotes:

 

"Your loving and obedient son wishes unto your grace long life in this world with as much joy and comfort as ever I wish to myself, and in the world to come joy everlasting."

Letter to his father. 

 

 

Sources & Further Reading:

Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guilford Dudley Executions 1554. (2015). English History. https://englishhistory.net/tudor/executions-of-lady-jane-grey-lord-guildford-dudley/

Lord Guilford Dudley.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2016). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lord_Guilford_Dudley.jpg 

The forgotten marriage between Guildford Dudley and Lady Jane Grey. (2026). History Skills. https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/year-8/guildford-dudley/