Lady Frances Brandon
| Frances Grey | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Suffolk | |
Portrait of a woman sometimes identified as the Duchess of Suffolk, c. 1560
|
|
| Spouse(s) |
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk Adrian Stokes |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | Brandon |
| Father | Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk |
| Mother | Mary Tudor, Queen of France |
| Born |
16 July 1517 Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England |
| Died | 20 November 1559 (aged 42) London, England |
| Buried | Westminster Abbey |
Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (née Brandon; 16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559) was an English noblewoman, the second child and eldest daughter of King Henry VIII's younger sister, Princess Mary and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. She was the mother of Lady Jane Grey, Lady Catherine Grey, and Lady Mary Grey.
Frances Brandon was born 16 July 1517 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire and spent her childhood in the care of her mother. Although her father, the Duke of Suffolk, had obtained a declaration of nullity regarding his earlier marriage to Margaret Neville (the widow of John Mortimer) on the ground of consanguinity, in 1528 he secured a bull from Pope Clement VII assuring the legitimacy of his marriage with Mary Tudor, and therefore the legitimacy of his daughter Frances. Frances was close to her aunt Catherine of Aragon, first wife of her uncle King Henry VIII, and was a childhood friend of her first cousin, the future Queen Mary I.
In 1533 Frances married Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset. The marriage took place at Suffolk Place, a mansion which belonged to her parents on the west side of Borough High Street in Southwark, .
Her first two pregnancies resulted in the births of a son and daughter who both died young. These were followed by three surviving daughters:
Frances is considered to have been a strong and energetic woman. Her residence at Bradgate was a minor palace in Tudor style. After the death of her two brothers, the title Duke of Suffolk reverted to the crown, and was granted to her husband as a new creation. She saw to it that her daughters were well educated. Around 1541 Bishop John Aylmer was made chaplain to the duke, and tutor of Greek to Frances's daughter, Lady Jane Grey.
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