John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland Name: John Dudley Born: 1504 Died: August 22nd, 1553 Brief: Dudley was a formidably sneaky political figure who craved money and power. He is the figure most commonly associated with the attempt to get Lady Jane Grey onto the throne of England after Edward’s death. This plan’s failure led to his eventual execution.
Northumberland dealt with military issues during the reign of Edward, while the more political dealings were conducted by Seymour. This proud military reputation made it easier for him to rally support when he wanted to remove Seymour from his position, thus lessening Seymour’s influence on the young king and increasing his.
Dudley, unlike Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset, did not take the title of Lord Protector and he actually encouraged Edward to declare himself as king. Between 1551 and 1553 Dudley he ruled as “first among equals” and thanks to clever political manipulation and influence, he was able to shape the young King Edward’s education to suit his needs, while filling important court and political positions with his friends and family.
In 1553, Dudley used his new heightened influence to persuade Edward to sign a document that forbad Mary and Elizabeth from taking the throne on the grounds of questionable legitimacy. It was at this time Edward confirmed that he wished his successor to be Lady Jane Grey (who coincidentally enough had married one of Dudley’s sons only one month earlier).
Dudley managed to keep Edward’s death a secret for three whole days before Lady Jane Grey ascended to the throne in July 1553.
However, Dudley wasn’t prepared for the public backlash, and had allowed Mary to flee to East Anglia, where he was very unpopular. Slowly but surely, his supporters began to abandon him, and he was executed for treason on August 22nd of the same year.