Jane Seymour

Jane was born circa 1508, probably at Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. She was the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth.

Jane was not as highly educated as the two first wives of King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. She could read and write a little but was much more proficient at needlework and household management, considered much more important for women.

She became a maid-of-honour in 1532 to Queen Catherine but may have served her as early as 1527. Jane went on to serve Queen Anne as lady-in-waiting. The first report of the King’s interest in Jane was in February 1536, three months before Anne Boleyn’s execution.

Jane was highly praised for her gentle and peaceful nature. She was referred to as gentle a lady as I ever knew by John Russell, and was nicknamed the Pacific by the Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, for her peace-making efforts. Chapuys described her as of middling stature and very pale; he also said she was not of much beauty. However, John Russell stated that she was the fairest of all the King’s wives. Jane was regarded as meek, gentle, simple and chaste, whose large family made her a suitable candidate to give birth to many children.

Henry VIII was betrothed to Jane on 20 May 1536, just one day after his former wife’s execution. The couple were married at the Palace of Whitehall by Bishop Gardiner on 30 May 1536. Jane was publicly proclaimed Queen of England on 4 June 1536.

Her well-publicised sympathy for the late Queen Catherine and her daughter, the Lady Mary, showed her to be compassionate and made her a popular figure.

As Queen of England, Jane was said to be strict and formal. She formed a close relationship with her stepdaughter Mary. The lavish entertainments, gaiety and extravagance of Queen Anne’s household was replaced by a strict enforcement of decorum. Her only reported involvement in national affairs, in 1536, was when she asked for pardons for participants in the Pilgrimage of Grace (a popular uprising against the break with the Catholic Church). Henry is said to have rejected this, reminding her of the fate of her predecessor met when she meddled in his affairs. For the rest of her life, Jane remained faithful to her motto: Bound to obey and serve.

Jane put much effort to restore Mary to court and to the royal succession, behind any children that Jane might have with Henry. While she was unable to restore Mary to the line of succession, she was able to reconcile her with the King. A letter from Mary to the Queen shows that Mary was grateful to her.

In January 1537, Jane became pregnant. During the summer, she took no public engagements and led a relatively quiet life, being attended by the royal physicians and the best midwives. She went into confinement in September and, on 12 October 1537, she gave birth to the coveted male heir: Edward.

Jane’s labour had been difficult, lasting two nights and three days, probably because the baby was not well positioned. After the christening, it became clear that she was seriously ill. Queen Jane died on 24 October 1537, at Hampton Court Palace. Within a few weeks of her death, there were conflicting testimonies concerning the cause of her demise; some hypotheses include retained placenta, puerperal fever and pulmonary embolism.

Jane was buried on 12 November 1537, in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Her stepdaughter Mary acted as chief mourner. She was the only of Henry’s wives to receive a Queen’s funeral.

After her death, Henry wore black for three months. He put on weight, becoming obese and swollen, and developing diabetes and gout. When he died in 1547, he was buried beside her, on his request, in the grave he had made for her. 

Jane Seymour, Queen of England

Hans Holbein the Younger

1536