After the two Lady Jane Grey exhibitions of 2010, 2011 was a much quieter year Jane wise. Although Dr Stephan Edwards thinks he has discovered an authentic portrait of the nine days queen.

In February, Helen Castor (author of ‘She Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth) announced that she was working on 3 documentaries based on her book (which featured Lady Jane) to be broadcast on BBC4 in 2012. On 6th February, the BBC programme, ‘Countryfile’ visited the National Trust property Dunham Massey in Cheshire. During the tour of the house, there was a glimpse of a portrait of Lady Jane.

Also in February, various sources reported that Delaroche’s painting, ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’ had inspired the collection by Giles Deacon at London Fashion Week. ( London Fashion Week: England Reigns Supreme). You could buy a Giles Deacon Lady Jane t-shirt in December for £280! (The Independent - Christmas Gifts Gallery). The New York post had Helen Castor’s She Wolves as a required read.

In March, Linda Porter (author of ‘Mary Tudor: The First Queen’) very kindly answered my questions relating to Mary Tudor and Lady Jane Grey (Interview with Linda Porter). On March 21st, Leanda de Lisle (author of ‘The Sisters Who Would Be Queen’) gave a talk about Lady Jane and her sisters for the Friends of Charnwood Forest.

In April, Tracy Borman (author of ‘Elizabeth’s Women’) kindly answered my questions relating to the Grey sisters (Interview with Tracy Borman).

‘The French Queen’s Letters: Mary Tudor and the Politics of Marriage in Sixteenth-Century Europe’ by Dr Erin Sadlack was published in April as part of the ‘Queenship and Power’ series. I met up with Dr Sadlack the following month and had a very interesting discussion about Mary Tudor, Lady Jane and the tv show ‘The Tudors.’ (Interview with Dr Erin Sadlack).

Dr Stephan Edwards updated his research of two supposed portraits of Lady Jane at Wrest Park and Syon. He believes that the Syon Portrait is of Lady Jane Grey (Lady Jane Grey Revealed – The Syon Portrait ).

The National Gallery’s film about the 2012 exhibition ‘Painting History: Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey’ can be viewed at their website (Paul Delaroche: Lady Jane Grey).

Between March and May, ‘A Ballad of Love and Death: Pre-Raphaelite Photography in Great Britain, 1848-1875’ exhibition at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, included ‘a fine 1860s historical study by Ronald Leslie Melville entitled ‘The Duke of Northumberland offering the Crown to Lady Jane Grey’ (Financial Times).

It was also announced in April that Alison Weir’s sequel to ‘Innocent Traitor’, called ‘Dangerous Inheritance’ is a novel about Catherine Grey and Katherine Plantagenet.

In May, Susan Higginbotham started blogging about the Greys. (The Letters of Frances Grey, Marchioness of Dorset, Signatures of Frances Grey and Adrian Stokes, Was Lady Jane Grey Precontracted to the Earl of Hertford?, How Old Was Guildford Dudley?, Did Jane Grey’s Parents Resent Her Because She Was Not A Boy?, Frances Grey’s Date of Remarriage, Revisited Mary Boleyn or Frances Brandon?, Christmas at Tilty: 1549).

Helen Castor was interviewed by the History Today Book Club in June ( Interview: Helen Castor) . She also took part in their podcasts (History Today Podcasts Part OnePart Two, Part Three). Dr Anna Whitelock kindly answered my questions about Mary Tudor (Interview with Anna Whitelock).

The August edition of BBC History Magazine was a Tudor special. Two of the articles mentioned Lady Jane, as did two of the podcasts.
‘Three Maids for a Crown: A Novel of the Grey Sisters’ by Ella March Chase was published in the UK this month (Interview with Ella March Chase).

In September, it was the 10th anniversary of this website. I also visited Syon Park, where Lady Jane Grey was told she was Queen. The paperback version of ‘Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery’ by Eric Ives was published. Also published was ‘Katherine Parr: Complete Works and Correspondence’ edited by Janel Mueller. Mueller suggests that not only did Katherine Parr give Jane Grey her prayer book but that Katherine wrote it herself.

In December, the British Library’s ‘Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog,’ posted an article about Jane’s prayerbook. (Rival Queens, Precious Books). The British Library has digitised the prayer book and it can be viewed at Lady Jane Grey’s Prayer Book. Lady Jane Grey mugs were on sale from Culture Label

Dr Stephan Edwards transcribed and translated 'Giulio Raviglio Rosso's Historia delle cose occorse nel regno d'Inghilterra dopo la morte di Odoardo VI' (History of the things that occurred in the realm of England, in relation to the Duke of Northumberland after the death of Edward VI)
(Some Grey Matter - History of the things that occurred in the realm of England, in relation to the Duke of Northumberland after the death of Edward VI).

Other books published this year that featured Jane include: Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of Londn by Nigel Jones, Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr (paperback) by Linda Porter, England’s Queens: The Biography by Elizabeth Norton, She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth (paperback) by Helen Castor and Mary I: England’s Catholic Queen by John Edwards.

I have only seen about 5 minutes of part 3 so far, so luckily The Anne Boleyn Files and the British Library have reviewed the final part of this series.

The Anne Boleyn Files - Illuminations: The Private Lives of Kings - Libraries Gave Us Power


If you are outside the UK you can watch clips and read a review at the British Library's Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog.

British Library: Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog

The following talks are free at the National Portrait Gallery in London:


Visualising Portraits: Portrait of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia
26th January 2012
2-3pm
Room 4
Picture description for visually impaired visitors

The annual service to commemorate the life of Queen Katherine of Aragon will take place at Peterborough Cathedral on Friday 27th January.

There is also a Tudor History Day on Saturday 28th January and a talk about Margaret Beaufort (grandmother of Henry VIII) in the evening.

On Sunday you can go on a Tudor Walk Around Peterborough.

Further details and ticket information can be found at:

Katharine of Aragon: The queen who changed the course of history

5th January - Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII (Paperback) by Robert Hutchinson

‘Henry became the unexpected heir to the precarious Tudor throne in 1502, after his elder brother Arthur died. He also inherited both his brother's wardrobe and his wife, the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon. He became king in April 1509 with many personality traits inherited from his father - the love of magnificence, the rituals of kingship, the excitement of hunting and gambling and the construction of grand new palaces. After those early glory days of feasting, fun and frolic, the continuing lack of a male Tudor heir runs like a thin line of poison through Henry's reign. After he fell in love with Anne Boleyn, he gambled everything on her providing him with a son and heir. From that day forward everything changed. Based on contemporary accounts, Young Henry provides a compelling vision of the splendours, intrigues and tragedies of the royal court, presided over by the ruthless and insecure Henry VIII. With his customary scholarship and narrative verve, Robert Hutchinson provides fresh insights into what drove England's most famous monarch, and how this happy, playful Renaissance prince was transformed into the tyrant of his later years.’

From Amazon.co.uk

Further details - Orion Publishing Group

Further details - Amazon.co.uk

Reviews of 'Queen Anne' by Anne Somerset have started appearing.

Queen Anne by Virginia Rounding - The Telegraph -January 17th 2012 (added 19th January)

Remembering the Forgotten Queen by David Blackburn and Daisy Dunn - The Spectator - January 19th 2012 (added 19th January)

Queen of Sorrows by Maureen Waller - Deccan Chronicle - January 22nd 2012 (added 21st January)

The Spectator interviews Dr Kate Williams.

Shelf Life: Kate Williams

The British Library's 'Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog' previewed last night's part 2 of 'Illuminations: The Private Lives of the Medieval Kings.'

What a King Should Know

The British Library 'Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog reviews the first part of BBC4's 'Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings.'

Illuminations with Janina Ramirez

The Guardian interviews Dr Kate Williams (author of England's Mistress, Becoming Queen and The Pleasures of Men).

Kate Williams joins the queens of historical fiction