Is My Lady Jane based on a true story? The inspiration behind the series explored

My Lady Jane is a newly released series on Amazon Prime Video, set against the backdrop of Britain in the 16th century. Successful period series' like Bridgerton have fictionalized characters based on the British Empire. My Lady Jane follows suit as it provides a fictionalized account of Lady Jane Grey of Britain with a fantasy twist.

The official synopsis of the newly released Prime Video series reads:

"History's most tragic heroines but reimagined with an uplifting twist: the damsel in distress saves herself - and then the kingdom."

While the Prime Video series My Lady Jane has provided a fictional account of events, it is indeed inspired by the real life of Lady Jane Grey, an English noblewoman who sat on the throne as the Queen of England and Ireland from July 10 to July 19, 1553.

My Lady Jane is based on the series of novels of the same name by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, and Cynthia Hand. Inspired by the novels, the eight-part Prime Video series blends alternate history, fantasy, and fiction to reimagine the tragic yet fascinating life of Lady Jane Grey.

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Who was Lady Jane Grey? The inspiration behind Prime Video's My Lady Jane

A portrait of Lady Jane Grey (Image via britishheritage.com)

Lady Jane Grey was a noblewoman from Bradgate, Leicestershire, England. She was born in 1537 and was the great-niece of King Henry VIII. She was also the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his youngest daughter, Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk.

She was named the heir to the Crown by Edward VI on his deathbed. Edward VI had laid the foundations of the reformed Church of England under the Protestant faith, replacing the Catholic Church. He removed his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth as successors to the crown owing to their Catholic faith. Lady Jane Grey was named the successor since she believed in the Protestant faith too.

Lady Jane Grey was named the Queen of England on July 10, 1553; however, her reign was very shortlived. Support for her as the Queen dwindled while support for Mary grew. Jane Grey was deposed as Queen only nine days after her rule, which gave her the moniker 'Nine Days Queen'.

When Mary was declared Queen of England on July 19, 1553, Jane was convicted of treason and held as a prisoner. It was found that Edward VI's will was not legal since it was not passed by the Parliament; hence, Jane's rule was deemed illegal. She was later viewed as a threat to the crown and executed on February 12, 1554, along with her husband.

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My Lady Jane provides a twist to the tragic real-life story of Lady Jane Grey

The historical fantasy series My Lady Jane does a brilliant job of providing an alternate history of Lady Jane Grey. Not only does she evade execution in the series, but she also tries to unite the kingdom.

The reign of the real-life Jane Grey saw England divided between the Protestants and the Catholics, which was both the reason for her ascension and her deposition from the throne. The Prime Video series very wittily portrayed the Catholic and Protestant division through the Verities (regular human beings) and Ethians (humans with the ability to turn into animals). The Ethians are viewed as lower-class people by the Verities, much like the Catholics viewed the Protestants.

The series has maintained similarities between the real Jane and her fictional representation. In the series, Jane (portrayed by Emily Bader) loves to read and is one of the most literate women in the country, similar to her real-life counterpart.

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My Lady Jane is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.