Biography
Jane Seymour's family was of ancient and respectable lineage.
Her father was Sir John Seymour of Wolf Hall in Wiltshire; he served in
the Tournai campaign of 1513 and accompanied Henry VIII to the Field of
the Cloth of Gold in 1520. He was made a knight of the body and later
a gentleman of the king's bedchamber. Both positions were very desirable
for they allowed personal access to the king. Courtiers were always
desperate to gain the king's ear, if even for a brief moment. Sir
John was able to secure desirable appointments at court for his family;
of his eight children, three would come to historical prominence - the
eldest son Edward as duke of Somerset and Lord Protector, another son Thomas
as Lord Admiral and husband of Henry VIII's last queen, and his daughter
Jane as queen of England.
The Seymour rise to prominence at Henry's court mirrored that of the
Boleyns; it was the path sought by all English families with a minor pedigree
or clever son. But gaining the king's favor was rather different
than maintaining it and the Seymours proved far more adept at the latter.
Jane's birthdate is unknown; various accounts use anywhere from 1504
to 1509. She first came to court as a lady-in-waiting to Katharine
of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife. But soon enough Anne
Boleyn was queen and Jane attended her. She witnessed first-hand
the tempestuous relationship between Anne and Henry. Jane herself
was known for her quiet and soothing manner. Certainly Henry knew
of her but there is no evidence that he took particular notice until September
1535 when his royal progress stopped at Wolf Hall. Such a visit was
a great honor for the Seymour family. And it brought Jane, away from
court and its flirtatious young beauties, immediately to the king's attention.
Many historians have argued this was the beginning of Henry's infatuation,
but it was unlikely. Anne Boleyn was not completely out of favor
just yet; she was pregnant again, though she would suffer a miscarriage
in January. And Henry's flirtations were confined to Anne's cousin,
Madge Shelton. Jane Seymour was perhaps in the king's thoughts but
he did nothing for several months.
In February 1536, however, foreign ambassadors began to report rumors
of the king's romance with Jane. They speculated upon her chances
of becoming queen. Henry made his affection clear to Jane; she received
costly gifts (which she prudently returned) and her brothers were promoted
at court. In April 1536, Edward Seymour and his wife moved to rooms
which connected through a hidden passage with the king's apartments.
Henry could thus continue his courtship of Jane in relative privacy.
But the king was also mindful of the vicious rumors and public outrage
which had accompanied his open courtship of Anne Boleyn while still wed
to Katharine of Aragon. He was far more discreet with Jane, and this
undoubtedly suited her character. She was content to remain unknown.
There were rumors that she would not dine alone with the king, insisting
always upon a chaperone, and that she responded to a particularly bold
flirtation by reminding the king of his marriage.
Henry did not need to be reminded of his second marriage; it had become
a bitter disappointment for him. He was determined to rid himself
of Anne Boleyn. Jane's presence was merely another impetus for action.
Another impetus was the death of Katharine of Aragon on 7 January 1536.
All of Europe, and most Englishmen, had regarded her as the king's rightful
wife and Anne as merely his concubine. On 29 January, Anne miscarried
a son; the king ominously declared that he would have no more children
by her. For Henry, it was suddenly clear that if he could rid himself
of Anne and marry Jane, then he would have a legitimate marriage recognized
by all and another possibility for a son.
The king began to mention publicly that he had been bewitched into marriage
with Anne; he knew his words would reach her. Anne was terrified
but she could do little. She had few friends at court, and even those
were prepared to desert her for the king's favor. On 2 May, Anne
was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. On 15 May, she was
condemned to death; Henry sent a personal message to Jane with the news.
Four days later Anne was executed; the day after, 20 May, the king was
formally betrothed to Jane. They married ten days later on 30 May
and Jane was publicly declared queen on 4 June. She chose an apt
motto, 'Bound to Obey and Serve'.
She was never granted the lavish coronation which Anne had enjoyed.
It was summertime and the minor plagues were sweeping through London; the
king said she must wait until the spring to be crowned. It is also
possible, and was rumored, that Henry had no intention of crowning Jane
until she had proved her worth and provided a son. If she proved
barren, he could annul their marriage with hopefully little fanfare.
Almost a decade had passed since the 'King's Great Matter' first began
and still Henry did not have a legitimate heir. And on 20 July 1536,
he received the devastating news that his only illegitimate son, Henry
Fitzroy duke of Richmond, had died at the age of 17. There had always
been the possibility that Fitzroy could have succeeded him, but now Henry
VIII was left with only two daughters, both declared illegitimate.
It is certain that if Jane had not provided a son, she would have been
quickly discarded. Personal affection could not overcome political
necessity.
But Jane was able to provide the king with his fondest wish. And
indeed the whole country wished for an heir; they had no desire to return
to ruinous civil war.
Rumors of her pregnancy began almost immediately after her marriage.
But it wasn't early 1537 that rumors could finally be confirmed as fact.
The London chronicler Edward Hall recorded public rejoicing at news of
Jane's quickening:
'On 27 May 1537, Trinity Sunday, there was a Te Deum sung in St Paul's
cathedral for joy at the queen's quickening of her child, my lord chancellor,
lord privy seal and various other lords and bishops being then present;
the mayor and aldermen with the best guilds of the city being there in
their liveries, all giving laud and praise to God for joy about it.'
Bonfires were lit and celebrations held throughout England; prayers
were offered for a safe delivery. In early October, Jane went to
Hampton Court Palace for her lying-in and on 12 October, after a long and
difficult labor, she gave birth to the wished-for son. It was the
eve of St Edward's day and so he was baptized by that name on 15 October.
His two half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, attended the splendid christening
ceremony. Mary stood as godmother; Elizabeth was carried in the arms
of Thomas Seymour, Jane's brother who would later plan to marry her.
Her grandfather, Thomas Boleyn, also attended the ceremony.
After 29 years as king of England, Henry VIII finally had a legitimate
male heir. Past grievances were to be forgotten at this grand moment.
Jane could not savor her success for long. The christening ceremony
had begun in her bedchamber; she was wrapped in robes and carried on a
litter to the king's chapel. She was able to participate but the
long ordeal proved too much. She was already weak and exhausted;
she needed quiet and rest and received neither. Only a day later,
it was reported that the queen was very ill. Her condition quickly
worsened. She was delirious and had a high fever; doctors bled
her and attendants hastened to fulfill her craving for sweets and wine.
The king's chief minister Cromwell would later blame the sweets for her
death but they did little to harm Jane. Modern historians believe
she had puerperal sepsis, or 'childbed fever'. It was all too common
in the 16th century.
It was later rumored that she died from complications of a Cesarean
section, but this was unlikely. There were no reports that she was
bleeding excessively and she was able to attend the christening and greet
visitors. Sadly, Jane was a victim of her times. Poor hygiene
and medical knowledge could not stop the fever which finally killed her
near midnight on 24 October.
Jane's early death, at the moment of her great triumph, and her gentle
character had an enduring hold on Henry VIII's memory. She was given
a solemn state funeral; Princess Mary acted as her chief mourner.
In her short time as queen, Jane had attempted to reconcile Henry and his
stubborn daughter. Her body was embalmed and laid to rest in the
tomb at Windsor Castle which Henry was building for himself. Years
after her death, even while he was married to other women, Jane continued
to appear in royal portraits as queen consort. Her special status
as mother to the heir was never forgotten.
The king wore black until well into 1538 and waited more than two years
to marry again. This was the longest interval between marriages during
his reign.
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