Lady Jane Grey's Execution During The Tudor Times

Execution during the Tudor times included various varieties. There are some that are crueler in comparison to the execution suffered by Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane Grey as a noble was given the fate of being beheaded. Considering the multiple varieties of execution during the Tudor Time period, her execution is more merciful than cruel. She was beheaded in a tower away from public eyes. Although, it is equally risky as a beheading can go awry. Such case occurred with Thomas Cromwell, the executioner was said to be incompetent and it took multiple blows before he was successfully beheaded. In hindsight, Lady Jane’s execution judged by Mary’s future course of action could be considered nothing but merciful. Mary is known to have employed cruel and harsh executions methods such as burning at the stake. Mary merely executed Jane Grey because she was considered a threat to the throne. However, Mary …show more content…
Beheading in the particular time period can almost be viewed as conclusively merciful. An example would be Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII brought in a special Spanish swordsman to carry out her execution. Spanish swords were known to be very sharp, and it was to end her life quickly and swiftly. This retrospectively indicates that beheading is supposed to be a quick method of punishment. Jane Grey’s execution may have preceded John Cooke’s execution by a century, but in general the time period corresponds. John Cooke was executed in a very cruel manor. Hanged, drawn, and quartered, was the fate of John Cooke. He was convicted of High Treason just as Jane Grey, but suffered a much more severe execution. His execution unlike Jane’s was public. Jane was beheaded in a tower away from the public eyes. Public display of execution was merely an attempt to publicly shame the person being executed. Jane was spared this