Recently, I've been doing some Genealogical studying, and it brought me to the royal family. My 14 times great-grandfather (according to Ancestry) is John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Not the best guy to say you're related to, I know, but it brought me to discover Lady Jane Grey, (also known as the 9-day queen) and it sparked my interest.
I get that the gist is that John convinced Edward to declare Mary and Elizabeth illegitimate, thus making Jane queen, as she was next in line. But why was Mary able to assert her dominance, and why, then, was Jane convicted when the people had grown to like her and she'd had no hand in her rise to power? Didn't someone at some point in time have to confirm that she was, indeed, allowed to be queen? Why didn't this issue arise sooner? And seeing as how Jane was queen... How can one commit High Treason against oneself?
I know it's a lot, but I just feel this need to figure out what was really going on here. I feel that no historical recounting I've found has really answered my question, so I hope to have it answered here.
Although I'm not an expert on this subject, but it just seems it's a regular ol' power struggle for succession. Mary succeed in her military coup and took the throne by force, at the point it does not really matter what the succession law entails. There's countless historical examples of succession struggle where the more powerful took over the throne in disregard of proper succession laws.
Obviously Jane Grey cannot be allowed to live, gets slapped with some trumped up charges and executed. I can't really answer why the other lords and barons did not rise up in revolt, perhaps they were reactionary to Edward's reforms? Too much work? Apathy?