Tudor history has always fascinated me. But I've been left baffled by this. Why didn't the crown go to Frances Brandon, granddaughter of Henry VII of England? Did she formally abdicate? And if so, did she give a good reason why?
I've read that Frances was a manipulative and violent mother to Jane. And given her nature wouldn't she embrace the chance to be Queen of England?
One reason I can think of for her passing the crown onto Jane was because their hold on the crown was so flimsy and she didn't want to suffer potential consequences if she got overthrown by Mary I. Am I right to assume this?
Edit: I originally said that Frances Brandon was the granddaughter of Henry VIII. She's actually the granddaughter of Henry VII.
Hi, while these responses don't go into Frances' involvement or lack thereof (so hopefully someone can fill in the blanks here), you may be interested how Jane was nominated:
Was Lady Jane Grey technically a queen or not? Wikipedia says it is disputed. What's the consensus here? by /u/Algernon_Asimov. TL:DR: the king specifically named her as his successor
Why did Edward VI nominate Lady Jane Grey (the Nine Day Queen) as his successor, thus subverting the claims of both his half-sisters? featuring /u/keplar among others. TL:DR: she was related, of legitimate birth, Protestant, and married to Guildford Dudley, the son of Edward's advisor, the Duke of Northumberland
Why was is acceptable to be governed by a Queen in a world where women in general were considered inferior to men ? by /u/intangible_tangerine
One small item: I think that you may have miscounted your Henrys.
Frances Brandon was the granddaughter of Henry VII, not VIII. She would have been the niece of Henry VIII.