It’s Friday, and you know what that means: fan mail! SYMHC listener Kendra wrote to us about Lady Jane Grey, specifically, whether Lady Jane really had a nine-day reign.

Jane Grey (1537-1554) was named after Jane Seymour, who gave birth to Henry VIII’s long-awaited male heir, Edward. When she was nine years old, she went to live at court to study under Queen Catherine Parr. Lady Jane was noted for her acute intelligence and steadfast devotion to her Protestant faith. While at court, she became acquainted with the duke of Northumberland and lord chamberlain, John Dudley. The lord chamberlain, like Jane and the reigning monarch — Edward VI — was Protestant. With Edward so sick, it was a very real possibility that Henry VIII’s daughter Mary Tudor, a Catholic, would become queen.