Home > Lord Guilford Dudley

His father was Lord Protector of the kingdom during the reign of King Edward VI of England. On Edward's death, Northumberland feared the accession of the king's sister, the Catholic Mary, and already had a scheme in place to replace her with a Protestant, Lady Jane Grey.

In order to ensure the security of the kingdom against Catholic rule, he had married her to his son Guilford on May 15, 1553.

Within days of the sick boy king Edward's untimely death, Jane was hastily proclaimed queen, and against her own better judgement officially ruled for nine (or thirteen) days, with Guilford as her consort. However, Mary's adherents prevailed; Jane and Guilford were imprisoned, and Guilford, his father and lady Jane were all executed (Jane within the Tower of London, and the accused Dudley family on Tower Hill).

Guilford's unfortunate brothers, John, AmbroseAmbrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick (died February 21, 1589), was the son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and a brother of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Ambrose Dudley was born about 1528/9 his mother being Jane (nee Guildford). As a youth, RobertRobert Dudley Earl of Leicester, circa 1532 1588) was the long-standing favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England and almost became her husband. Dudley was born around 1532, a younger son of the Duke of Northumberland, who was executed in 1553 for his par and Henry , along with their mother, were also for a while incarcerated in the Tower, but were subsequently pardoned.