Lady Jane Grey: The true story behind the ‘Nine Day Queen’

Lady Jane Grey ascended the British throne on June 10, 1553. Known as the “Nine Day Queen,” according to Historic Royal Palaces , Jane was deposed and imprisoned shortly after. She had the shortest reign in Britain’s history.

She’s also at the center of “My Lady Jane,” a new TV series on Amazon. The romantic drama draws on Jane’s true story, while also taking plenty of creative liberty. How historically accurate is “My Lady Jane”?

Dive into her true story and find out how historically accurate the new TV series “My Lady Jane” is on Amazon Prime.

Who was the real Lady Jane Grey?

Lady Jane Grey was born in Leicestershire, England, in 1537. She was the oldest daughter of Lady Frances and Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, per Historic Royal Places . She was also a great-niece of King Henry VIII.

Jane was remembered as a dedicated student, who spoke several languages including Hebrew, French, Italian and Greek. She preferred studying to playing sports.

“I wist all their sport in the park is but a shadow to that pleasure that I find in Plato. Alas, good folk, they never felt what true pleasure meant,” she said about why she preferred to spend her time inside, per Historic Royal Places .

She might have also been “a rather abrasive person,” according to Samantha Rogers, who teaches Tudor history at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University, per the BBC . “She was also dour and pious. I suspect I would not have wanted to be friends with her.”

Lady Jane Grey’s marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley

Lady Jane Grey married Lord Guildford Dudley, who was son of the Duke of Northumberland, John Dudley, per The Royal Family . The union was engineered by the Duke of Northumberland, to ensure his own line of royal succession.

When 15-year-old King Edward got severely sick, he rewrote his will. He wanted the heir to his throne to be a male Protestant, so he removed his half-sisters from the line of succession. He hoped for a male heir through one of his cousins, but as the likelihood of that plan grew thin, the Duke of Northumberland convinced Edward to name Lady Jane Grey as heir, per Historic Royal Palaces .

Then the Duke of Northumberland arranged for Lady Jane Grey to marry his own son, Lord Guildford Dudley. They married in May 1553. Jane was 16 when they married, Guildford was 18, per Historic Royal Palaces . The couple’s union set them up to reign as king and queen following the death of Edward VI.

Little is known about the couple’s marriage.

But, “we know Jane didn’t really want to be married to him,” Nicola Tallis, co-author of “Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey,” told Time .

Weeks later, in June 1553, Edward succumbed to a pulmonary infection, per Today . Lady Jane Grey was named monarch. But the 17-year-old had no interest in being queen.

Lady Jane Grey: The ‘Nine Day Queen’

On July 10, 1553, Lady Jane Grey was crowned queen of England. She refused to wear the crown.

Upon refusing to wear the crown, Jane recalled being told she “could take it without fear and that another also should be made, to crown my husband. Which thing I, for my part, heard truly with a troubled mind, and with ill will, even with infinite grief and displeasure of heart,” per Historic Royal Palaces .

The late King Edward VI’s half sister, Mary, sought revenge on Jane.

Edward wanted Jane as queen because she was Protestant. His older sister, Mary, had become a devoted Catholic and was unmarried — which, in Edward’s opinion, made her unfit to rule, per Time . But Edward’s will for Jane to ascend the throne was illegal, because it was never passed by Parliament.

The Duke of Northumberland scrambled to raise support for Jane.

But Mary was more popular because she was Catholic. “England was a Catholic country. Protestantism was largely being imposed by the king and by the elites,” Leanda de Lisle, co-author of “Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey,” told Time .

Mary raised a large army who rallied around her lawful claims to the throne. The Council put their support behind Mary, per Historic Royal Palaces . On July 19, 1553, Mary was crowned queen of England.

The Nine Day Queen was deposed that same day, according to The Royal Family website . She ruled for just nine days, from June 10, 1553, to June 19, 1553. It is the shortest reign in British history.

Months later, Jane was executed with her husband.

Why was Lady Jane Grey executed?

On July 20, Jane was imprisoned at the Tower of London, per History . On Nov. 13, Jane and her husband, Lord Guildford Dudley, were both found guilty of treason. They were sentenced to death, but because they were both relatively young, Mary did not want to carry out the death sentences.

Mary’s feelings changed when her plans to marry her first cousin, Prince Philip II of Spain, made her “deeply unpopular,” per Historic Royal Palaces . As her popularity took a nosedive, Mary felt she had to take out all her potential competitors. She believed Jane’s existence was a threat.

Mary ordered the execution of Jane and Guildford.

On Feb. 12, 1554, Guildford was taken to Tower Hill, where he was executed before a crowed, per Historic Royal Palaces . About an hour later, Jane was privately executed on Tower grounds.

Here are her last words: “Good people, I am come hither to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same; the fact indeed against the Queen’s Highness was unlawful and the consenting thereunto by me … I do wash my hands thereof in innocency before the face of God and the face of you good Christian people this day,” per Historic Royal Palaces .

After Jane was beheaded, her executioner held her head and declared: “So perish all the queen’s enemies! Behold, the head of a traitor!” per History .

Where can I watch ‘My Lady Jane’?

All eight episodes of “My Lady Jane” are streaming on Prime Video.

What is ‘My Lady Jane’ rated and why?

“My Lady Jane” is rated TV-14 for language and nudity. The series includes mild nudity, innuendo, sexual content and some language.