Innocent Traitor

Name: Innocent Traitor
Rating: 3.98 (35265 reviews)

by Alison Weir

First published 2006

Amazon

4.0(35,265)

Lady Jane Grey is educated for Protestant leadership but treated by her ambitious parents as an instrument of dynastic advancement. After Edward VI’s death, Northumberland and the Grey family place her on the throne despite Mary Tudor’s stronger claim. The novel follows Jane’s nine-day reign, imprisonment and execution through several viewpoints, contrasting her learning and conscience with the calculations of those who use her.

Jane’s tragedy arises from the difference between legal argument and political power. Her supporters can construct a Protestant succession, but Mary’s claim draws broader loyalty and military support once Edward is dead. The novel’s multiple viewpoints show how quickly advisers abandon principles when the coup fails, leaving the teenager placed on the throne to bear the punishment for decisions made by older politicians.

Historical Periods

Edwardian Reformation1547–1553 CE Mary I and the Counter-Reformation1553–1558 CE Lady Jane Grey Succession Crisis1553-07-06–1554-02-12

Genres

Biographical Fiction Court & Political Fiction Dynastic & Royal Fiction

Historical people

Mary I1516–1558 Edward VI1537–1553 Lady Jane Grey1537–1554 John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland1504–1553 Lord Guildford Dudley1535–1554 Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk1517–1554 Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk1517–1559