Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk

Frances Brandon was born on 16 July 1517 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. Frances was an uncommon name at the time, as she was reportedly named after St. Francis of Assisi, although some historians believe she was named in honour of Francis I, the French king. At Frances's baptism, her aunt Catherine of Aragon (then Queen of England and first wife of her uncle Henry VIII) and her cousin Mary served as godmothers. Frances spent her childhood in the care of her mother, Mary Tudor, the youngest surviving daughter of Henry VII and younger sister of Henry VIII. For most of Frances’s childhood she resided in Westhorpe, Suffolk. In 1533, Frances married Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset. The marriage took place at Suffolk Place, a mansion that belonged to her parents on the west side of Borough High Street in Southwark. It was this marriage, and her three children, which led to her life in the Tudor Court. ==At Court==

As the niece of Henry VIII, Frances was frequently at court. It was through her friendship with Catherine Parr that Frances' daughter Lady Jane Grey secured a place in the queen's household. At the time they took place the alliances were not seen as politically important, even by the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire Jehan de Scheyfye, who was the most suspicious observer. they have also been described as routine matches between aristocrats. It has been claimed since the early 18th century that Lady Jane was brutally beaten and whipped into submission by the duchess. However, there is no evidence for it. By June 1553, Edward VI was seriously ill. The succession of his Catholic half-sister Mary would compromise the English Reformation. Edward opposed Mary's succession, not only on religious grounds but also on those of legitimacy and male inheritance, which also applied to Elizabeth. He drafted the Devise for the Succession, which passed over the claims of his half-sisters and settled the Crown on his cousin Jane Grey. Like his late father, he also passed over Frances who otherwise would have been the heir presumptive, possibly because she seemed quite unlikely at her age to produce a son to succeed her. Frances and her husband were at first outraged, but eventually, after a private audience with the king, she renounced her own rights to the throne in favour of Jane, approving the plan for the succession. ==Queen's mother==

Edward VI died on 6 July 1553. Lady Jane was declared queen on 10 July. The duchess joined her for the proclamation and during her stay in the Tower. She had been fetched when Northumberland realised Jane's confusion and overwhelming feelings, and she managed to calm her daughter down. Since she had seen the king himself and spoken to him about the succession, she could convince Jane that she was the rightful queen and heir. Their success was short-lived. Jane was deposed by armed support in favour of Mary I on 19 July 1553. The Duke of Suffolk was arrested, but released days later thanks to the duchess's intervention. The moment she heard of her husband's arrest, she rode over to Mary in the middle of the night to plead for her family. Despite all odds, not only did the duchess manage to be received by the queen, but also could secure him a pardon by placing all the blame on Northumberland. While in his household, Lady Jane had fallen sick of food poisoning and had suspected Northumberland's family. The duchess now used her daughter's suspicions and her husband's sickness to accuse Northumberland of having tried to kill her family. Therefore, Mary was willing to pardon the Duke of Suffolk. She intended to pardon Jane once her coronation was complete, sparing the 16-year-old's life. However, Wyatt the Younger declared a revolt against Mary on 25 January 1554. The Duke of Suffolk joined the rebellion, but was captured by Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon. The revolt had failed by February. The plot ringleaders had wished to supplant Mary with her half-sister Elizabeth, although Elizabeth played no part in the matter. After the attempt to put Jane on the throne Frances was confined in the Tower of London for a time. ==Second marriage and death==

Frances lived in poverty during the reign of Mary I. Once again, Frances's children with Courtenay would have had a claim to the throne, but Courtenay was reluctant, and Frances escaped the marriage by another, much safer match. She married her Master of the Horse, Adrian Stokes. It was a safe marriage for her, since any children from it would be considered too low-born to compete for the throne. Her childhood friend and stepmother Katherine Willoughby had married her gentleman usher, so Frances moved on familiar ground. She and Stokes married in 1554, likely around late March or early April. Three children were born to the couple: • Elizabeth Stokes (20 November 1554), stillborn • Elizabeth Stokes (16 July 1555 – 7 February 1556?), died in infancy • A son (December 1556), stillborn On 20 November 1559, Frances Grey died due to illness. Her remains were transferred from Richmond to Westminster Abbey where the funeral was held on 5 December. During the funeral service, her daughter Katherine participated as head mourner. The funeral was the first Protestant service performed in Westminster Abbey. The inscription on her grave reads in Latin: ::Nor grace, nor splendor, nor a royal name, ::Nor widespread fame can aught avail; ::All, all have vanished here. ::True worth alone Survives the funeral pyre and silent tomb ==Reputation==

Frances Grey's posthumous reputation for being insensitive or cruel is largely based on Roger Ascham's account of a statement of her daughter Jane: From this passage it is often deduced that Frances and Henry Grey had mistreated their daughter. However, Ascham wrote these words years after the actual meeting, and his view might have been influenced by the later events concerning the Greys. The letter he wrote to Jane just a few months after the visit speaks admiringly of her parents and praises both Jane's and their virtues. James Haddon, chaplain of the Greys, told his acquaintance Michelangelo Florio how Jane was following in her parents' footsteps concerning piety, and how close she was to her mother Frances. The alleged abuse of her daughter as well as her role in the machinations to bring Jane the crown are the subject of historical debate. While Jane was already with her husband Guildford Dudley, under the supervision of his parents, she heard news that Edward VI was changing his will to exclude her mother from the succession and name Jane as his heir instead. Jane, startled by the news, asked her mother-in-law permission to visit her mother, yet was met with refusal. Ignoring her, Jane sneaked out of the house and went back home. Their elder brother was placed as ward under a councillor's care. Since Thomas was his father's heir, the councillor had control over the Willoughby fortune during Thomas's minority. ==Dramatic representation==

Frances, Duchess of Suffolk was portrayed by Sara Kestelman in the 1986 film Lady Jane and by Julia James in a 1956 episode of the BBC's Sunday Night Theatre. In the 2024 Amazon Prime Video series My Lady Jane, Frances Grey is portrayed by Anna Chancellor. ==References==