5 historical women who deserve a miniseries from Netflix or Hulu

Lady Jane Grey

Lady Jane Grey was technically the first woman to be queen regnant of England, and yet the world knows very little about her. The last Lady Jane Grey film came out in 1986, with Helena Bonham Carter playing the title role.

Yet, given our preoccupation with the Tudors and the many, many versions of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I we’ve seen, you’d think there’d be more media about a girl who became queen at the age of 15.

Lady Jane’s story is fascinating. The Nine Days Queen ascended the throne after her cousin King Edward (son of Henry VIII) refused to give his crown to his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth.

Both Mary and Elizabeth were considered illegitimate  after, you know, their dad wrote that into law because he didn’t like their mums anymore. Sigh.

A queen on the throne of England at all was unthinkable in the 1500s, and Lady Jane’s place in the succession was meant to be a placeholder for when she had sons who could become King. But Edward died before she had the chance to have children, and he amended his stance and named Lady Jane his heiress instead.

She was 15, highly educated and used as a puppet by powerful men who wanted to control the throne.

The Earl of Northumberland set her up with his son, with the view that she would make him king, but once she became queen, this girl — this teenager who was thrust int  a position of power that she never expected to be in — refused. She would make him a duke, but not a king.

She had more control over her own mind than I do my own hair.

Court intrigue, betrayal and a gathering of public support for her opponent Mary (aka Mary I), meant that her days were numbered, but her legacy lives on in this tragic tale.

There’s more than enough material here for a great Emmy-baiting miniseries. We’re very sure that the actress chosen for the role should be a teenager (not some Glee-style 30-something), so may we put forward the incredible Millie Bobby Brown for your consideration?

Get on it, studios! What are you waiting for?