My Lady Jane: A satirical take on the “Nine Days’ Queen” and the Catholic-Protestant conflicts of 1500s England

The television series My Lady Jane, which released on Amazon Prime in late June of this year, is a satirical retelling of Lady Jane Grey's short-lived time on the English throne in the 1550s. As a lover of historical fiction, I can safely say this was one of the best TV shows I’ve watched recently. The show takes creative liberties in retelling the story of the “Nine Days’ Queen,” depicting the intense grab for the English throne and the Catholic-Protestant power struggle in a new and impactful way.

Enthusiasts of the Broadway musical Six will be quite familiar with the romantic life of King Henry VIII. For those unfamiliar, King Henry VIII is best known for his high count of six wives (his charisma baffles historians to this day). However, his impressive number of nuptials did not lead to a large family, leaving behind only three children when he died in 1547. Henry’s only legitimate son, Edward VI, would take the throne at age nine after his father’s death. Throughout Edward’s reign, his devotion to the religion fueled the desire for a Protestant-dominated England. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, took advantage of Edward’s young age and used Edward as a puppet while he was king. Edward’s quickly declining health and lack of an heir left some confusion when he passed away in 1553 after only a short reign. At the end of Edward's life, Dudley convinced him to name his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, to the throne. Conveniently enough, she was Dudley’s daughter-in-law. A power struggle erupted between Protestant Jane Grey and Catholic Princess Mary Tudor, Edward’s half-sister. Mary Tudor would win this battle after Jane Grey’s reign of just nine days.

My Lady Jane picks up on the story right as Edward VI is dying, adding some twists, with the most interesting being its depiction of the religious struggle at this time. The clash is depicted to be between Verities and Ethians, representing the Catholics and Protestants, respectively.

In the series, Verities are ordinary human people, while Ethians are people who can turn into characteristic animals at will. Ethian disdain is rampant throughout England, as Verity is considered the “dominant species,” and Ethian-Verity intermarriage is also illegal. After being forced into a marriage with Guildford Dudley, Jane Grey finds out that Guildford is actually Ethian, making her marriage unlawful. Jane is also outspoken about her desire for Ethians and Verities to live together with equal rights and protections under the law. Princess Mary, who seeks to exterminate all Ethians and take the throne, discovers Jane's marriage and uses it as a reason for Jane's execution.

It wasn’t until the show’s later episodes that I realized the Verity-Ethian dynamic was meant to represent the Catholic-Protestant rivalry in England during the 1500s. Protestants were being persecuted by the Catholic majority, just as the Ethians in the show. Princess Mary Tudor—often referred to as “Bloody Mary” for her mass execution of Protestants during her reign—was strictly Catholic, a primary reason why she beheaded outwardly Protestant Jane Grey. The Verity-Ethian dynamic in the show provides a new perspective on the age-old conflict, allowing the audience to better understand the impacts of religious persecution at this time.

You can imagine how devastating it was for me when I heard the show was not renewed, leaving it with only one epic season. Low viewership was the cause of its cancellation. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a historical, informative, and hilarious TV show that will keep you entertained, My Lady Jane might be just the show for you.