Innocent Traitor

Historical fiction about the short tragic life of Lady Jane Grey, the “innocent traitor" of the title, who was Queen of England for nine days. It is told through multiple perspectives. Lady Jane is portrayed as a strong and willful young woman who values books, learning, and religious faith. As the novel progresses, she evolves from a precocious child to a political pawn at the hands of her ambitious parents and the manipulative power-broker John Dudley.

The novel explores the role of religion, court intrigue, gender politics, and marriage. I am impressed by the author’s ability to maintain dramatic tension despite most, if not all, readers knowing the outcome ahead of time. It was easy for me to become invested in what happened to show more Jane. It is largely based on documented historical facts, with a few liberties taken for dramatic interest, as the author acknowledges in the Afterword. The Tudor period is portrayed beautifully. Though based in the 16th century, it can easily be connected to modern topics, such as political manipulation, religious extremism, female agency, and power dynamics. show less

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir is the engrossing story of Lady Jane Grey. She was the daughter of scheming, ambitious parents who are at first disappointed that their first child was a female, but all too soon are plotting a dangerous future for her. Through her mother, Jane is a Tudor, niece to Henry VIII. Being that close to royalty brought great privileges but in the 15th century it was never safe to have even the slightest claim to the throne.

Jane is raised as a pawn, first with an eye to marrying her to Henry VIII’s son, Edward but when Edward is dying, the protestant powers behind him scheme to have him declare Jane as his heir, in order to prevent his sister, Mary, a staunch Catholic, from taking the throne. Jane, herself, had show more no ambitions in this direction, would rather have been left alone with her books and meditations, but at age fourteen, she is forced to first marry into a powerful family and then to accept the throne. Meanwhile Princess Mary having learned of Edward’s death, proclaimed herself Queen. In only a few short days, the people and the nobles have declared for Mary, sealing Jane’s fate.

This is a well written, stirring account of this young woman’s life. Weir skilfully weaves British history into an enthralling story and gives life to these historic figures. With it’s riveting plot and rich descriptions, this book would interest anyone interested in English history. show less

I listened to the audiobook of Innocent Traitor--a wonderful choice, since the readers were all exceptional. The book is structured in short chapters, written like journal entries by people influential in the life of Jane Grey (he mother, Katherine Parr, Mary Tudor, etc.), and this also made it perfect for audio listening. Weir gives a detailed and believable portrait of the life of an aristocratic child in the sixteenth-century, and of the intense political milieu of the times. After reading the novel, one wonders what might have happened had Jane been able to retain the crown and break free from her Dudley inlaws. A captivating piece of biofiction.

This book made me actually like the English world, if that mas any sense--not the English language, but the country itself. The whole vibe of royalty, monarchies, and historical traditions really drew me in. The prose was beautiful and elegant, and reading it made me feel smart and a little regal myself.I loved learning about the history, customs, and the way people lived in that time. I found myself picturing the castles, the little gardens, and the country so vividly that it was like I was walking through it myself! Honestly, this book made me appreciate the English world in a way that I have never had before, and I am definitely going to look for more stories like this in the future.

In her author’s note Alison Weir states that, “It is my sincere hope that the story that has unfolded in these pages has both enthralled and appalled you, the reader.” Well, from this reader’s perspective, I was engaged whilst at times enthralled, and many elements certainly appalled me.

I knew the main gist of Lady Jane Grey’s life story before reading this novel about her. What Ms Weir succeeds in doing is making Jane more “real”, rather than a figure in a history book with a genuine claim for the throne, her mother being daughter of Henry VIII’s sister, making Jane great-granddaughter of Henry VII.

In this tome we see Jane from her birth to her death and feel sympathy for her throughout. Her mother and father would show more never receive a “parents of the year award”, that’s for sure. They’re as easy to dislike as Jane is easy to feel fond of.

One quote that sums up Jane’s childhood is this:

>It is not often that I give way to tears of self-pity, but it seems that my life stretches out before me as one long, unending tunnel of misery.Was ever a condemned prisoner as innocent as this? show less

Spoilers ahead, because this is an historical novel about a major figure, and I assume most people know how it ends already.

This is the story of Lady Jane Grey, the great-niece of Henry VIII, and cousin to King Edward VI, and his sisters Mary and Elizabeth. Raised a devout Protestant when England and Europe as a whole were caught up in the religious and political struggle of the Reformation, she became a pawn for those, including her own parents, who wanted to advance both their own power and England's commitment to Protestantism. Years of scheming to marry her to her cousin Edward come to nothing, and when Edward, at fifteen, is dying, he is induced to sign a new will, making Lady Jane his heir in place of his sister, the Catholic show more Mary.
Allison Weir has written many historical biographies, and she knows the Tudor era and their lives intimately. She has told this story in multiple voices, Jane's of course, but also her mother, her nurse Mrs. Ellen, Queen Catherine Parr, John Dudley the Duke of Northumberland, and others, including even the Executioner at the end of her life. In an excellent production decision, although Stina Nielsen is listed as narrator, each character is read by a different actor (with admittedly some doubling up on minor characters.) This keeps each first-person narrative distinct, and makes listening to this complex story easier to follow.

The story begins with Jane's birth, and her parents' bitter disappointment that she is not a boy. This disappointment is compounded over the years, when Jane is followed by two more girls, Catherine and Mary. We follow, in several voices, Jane's upbringing, with her loving nurse, Mrs. Ellen, doing all that she can to soften the harshness of her mother, while Jane receives an education fit for a princess--literally. Her education is modeled on that of the King's daughters, and she studies Latin, Greek, philosophy, and theology, along with more typically feminine accomplishments of the age such as dancing, music, and needlework. When she is just seven, she is introduced to Court, and becomes a favorite of King Henry and Queen Catherine Parr, as well as becoming acquainted with his daughters, the Lady Mary and the Lady Elizabeth.

When King Henry dies and Edward becomes King, her parents begin plotting in earnest to marry her to her young cousin. She is fostered with Queen Catherine, who soon marries the man who had been courting her when Henry displaced him, Thomas Seymour, the Lord High Admiral. This is the happiest year of Jane's life, loved, indulged, and praised, rather than constantly corrected and punished for real or imaginary faults.

Then Thomas Seymour's plotting goes awry, John Dudley's plotting to replace Thomas's elder brother Somerset as Lord Protector succeeds, and Catherine dies giving birth to a daughter. Jane's life falls apart again. This is wear the spiral that ends in her nine-day reign as Queen truly begins.

Jane's story is, unavoidably, a tragedy, but Weir tells in masterfully, making Jane a real person worth caring about, even with all her faults. (During her early teen years, she really is a bit of a self-righteous prig.) We see her intelligence, her courage, her commitment to do the right thing as best she sees it, and her loyalty to those who have given her any reason at all to think well of them.

This is a very good book, and a very good performance of it.

Recommended.

I borrowed this book from a friend. show less

Such a tragic life poor, innocent Jane Grey led! I'm still in my introductory days of Tudor history so I did NOT know the ending of the story and was so grieved to know justice was not served.

I've loved everything I've read by Alison Weir and this was no exception. I usually strongly despise stories that are told from many different viewpoints but Weir did this one extremely well. My only complaint is that the voice of the very young Jane is not at all what one would expect from a 4 year old---even a very learned, higher class, 500 year old 4 year old. In fact, it wasn't until she was about 11 that I felt her voice could come near to matching what was probably reality. I can't imagine a scenario that would have better endeared me to show more her character though---it was just hard to get past this implausibility.

I was very impressed by Jane's strength of character and devotion to her convictions. Her feelings on modesty and the proper way to worship and approach God were very important to her---ultimately leading to her terrible end. While she felt she sometimes compromised them, she honored God in the end by refusing to budge.

I was also intrigued by what supposedly happened to the young King Edward after his death. Upon further research, it seems most scholars believe this to be a myth. However, Weir's account is very plausible and she makes a note and case for sufficient evidence in her afterward---so who knows?

I learned a lot about Tudor history, England, religious customs, and more by reading this novel. Such an excellent story! show less