Monday 22 February 2010

Time for some quiet contemplation


This painting, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, by Paul Delaroche, hangs in the National Gallery in London. I was, I think, 14 when I first went there and saw this, and will never forget the impression it made on me.

Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England for less than a fortnight in 1553. The precise length of her reign depends on your interpretation of when she became Queen - on the day of her proclamation or on the day that her predecessor, Edward VI, died. Either way, it was only days later that Mary Tudor took her place on the throne and had Lady Jane imprisoned. She was executed the following year, having been found guilty of high treason.

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