"...and with this marriage, the Lady Elizabeth became the Lady Elizabeth Dudley. With the agreement of her brother and the support of her new family she was married in 1553. This, at the time, seemed to be the coup of the century; Elizabeth had the royal blood, the royal look and the youth. But, unfortunately, there was the a problem coming looming..."
The Tragedy of King Dudley by Edgar Olde
1553: In the early days of April 1553, under the orders of Edward VI of England, the Lady Elizabeth Tudor and the Lady Jane Grey were married to Ambrose and Guildford Dudley, the sons of Sir John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. While the move of marrying Jane Grey to Guildford was one that had been known to the court, the double marriage involving the King's sister was not and when news of this event was made public many whispered that the arrogance of the Dudley clan knew no bounds. Shortly after these marriages, the King fell ill and by July 10th was dead.
Moving into action, John Dudley had his daughter-in-law the Lady Jane Dudley proclaimed Queen of England, citing that due to the illegitimacy of both Mary and Elizabeth Tudor. As she was both his daughter-in-law and Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth had expected to be used as the Queen figure and upon hearing the news was said to have attempted to leave the city under secrecy to support her elder sister's claim. However, she was soon discovered and would be be placed under the surveillance of both her husband and father in law.
During this time, Mary Tudor had moved to the North of England, gaining support from the mostly Catholic families who wished to put her on the throne. However, one prominent Catholic family that didn't immediately move to support her was the Howard clan, who made their support conditional. If Mary did not marry a man of their choosing, the choice being Thomas Howard, the heir to the Duke of Norfolk and a man of 17 years of age. However, Mary would not agree and thus, soon after, the Howard clan announced that they supported their kinswoman Elizabeth.
Then, in the first days of August, Ambrose Dudley, Elizabeth Tudor and Robert Dudley stole out of London and eventually arrived in Elizabeth's childhood home of Hatfield, where it was proclaimed that she was Queen. However, this news was overshadowed by the news that came from London, as it was announced Jane was pregnant with an heir. The news pushes Mary to quickly find a husband, as she is now 37 and nearing the age when most women stop having children. And she finds one in Arthur Pole of Lordington, a youth with royal blood .
Finally, on September 4th, Jane Grey is crowned as Queen with her husband as King. The coronation, however, is a disaster and many whisper that a 16 year old girl cannot rule. However, this ends for not as 10 men who chose to be vocal with their worries are hung. Meanwhile, Jane returns to her rooms at court, which is growing increasingly small as courtiers run to either support Elizabeth or Mary, depending on their religion.
The month ends badly for Jane, as the people of London begin to switch from her to Elizabeth, wanting the true Tudor line on the throne. As the days go on, chants that once went "Long Live Queen Jane" now simply sing "Elizabeth" and the people who once stared at the teen aged girl with respect now jeer at her, calling her a usurper and a whore. Finally, Elizabeth storms the capital with a small force and Jane loses her Queenship, being the Queen for only almost 3 months. She and her husband are kept in the Tower of London and many expect that, as Mary Tudor rushes through England to attempt to take London, Elizabeth will retaliate.
However, in a turn of events that shocked all but those closest to Elizabeth, she sent word to Mary that the city was hers. England was hers. All that Elizabeth asked was that Jane Grey, Robert Dudley, Ambrose Dudley and herself be spared, which Mary completely agreed to. And so, on the 11th of October, Mary Tudor entered England, flanked by her husband. Within the next month 20 men would be beheaded, including the Duke of Northumberland and his elder sons Henry and John and the Lady Jane Grey's husband Guildford. Elizabeth's husband Ambrose was created the Earl of Warwick soon after and the couple settled into Mary's court. However, one thing was still hanging over Mary's head as the year ended. She had a rival Queen in the Tower. And Jane Grey was pregnant.
1554: As the year began, many expected Mary Tudor to announce her pregnancy, as it was known that she and her husband were amorous together. However, the news that she was expecting would not take place until October of this year and many until that point looked to both her sister and cousin as the mothers of the next generation of Kings.
Jane Grey would give birth on the 23rd of March to a son, who she named Henry Dudley, for her great grandfather Henry VII and her royal great-uncle Henry VIII. However, though this move was meant to appease the Queen of England, who had still not decided what to do with the young woman or her child, it did not move her in the slightest. Jane was left to languish in the Tower with her son, who oddly was never removed from her care throughout the year. The imprisonment was a surprisingly comfortable one and Jane was treated with the respect of one of the royal blood, though she was still confined to her rooms and a few small areas allocated for her to exercise. It is thought that Mary was trying to trap her in a web of treachery, so she might try to escape and thus Mary could have her taken care of. Even if this had been the plan, Jane would never even attempt to leave and even reported a man who had come to her with a plan in May, perhaps hoping to be allowed to leave if she showed good behavior.
In the same March that Jane Grey finished her pregnancy, Elizabeth announced her own and left for Hatfield, which had become her and her husband's main non-London residence. This move would cause the Tudor sisters to be both closer and more clashing, as Mary would seem both extremely excited and jealous of her sister's fertility. This would cause her to at once send extravagant gifts throughout her sister's pregnancy and also send the Dudley brothers Ambrose and Robert out of the country to ostensibly be 6 month ambassadors in the Scottish courts. However, on September 6th, Elizabeth would give birth to a son, which she named Henry. And so, in 1554, the two Henry Dudley's were born.
Mary Tudor would spend the year mostly organizing her country's religion, pushing for the return of the Catholic Church throughout England. She would found 20 monasteries in the year, and would eventually begin construction on a grand Cathedral, which would never be completed. Finally, on the 19th of October, Queen Mary excitedly announced her first pregnancy, at age 38. She would be sure that, with her sister and cousin having healthy sons that she would as well and in the late months decided that she too would name her child Henry, as it would not be fair for the non-Queens to give their children the name of her father and she to not. And, as the year came to a close Mary became more and more excited as to her future child.