Birth: c.1509Jane Seymour was the third wife of Henry VIII, and the mother of King Edward VI. She was the only wife who succeeded in the one thing that all other wives failed to do—bore Henry a legitimate son and an heir to the throne. And for that, some have said that Henry called Jane his favorite wife.
Jane came from a respectable family; her father, Sir John Seymour, had been made a knight of the body and a gentleman to the King’s bedchamber. Both of these positions gave Sir John personal access to the King, which was a highly coveted honor. Sir John was able to gain favorable positions at court for his family; his eldest son, Edward, became the Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of King Edward VI; his other son, Thomas, became Lord Admiral and husband of Katherine Parr, Henrys last wife.
Jane first came to court as a lady-in-waiting for Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife. It is not completely sure when Henry noticed Jane, but some say it is during September 1935 when he stopped at Wolf Hall and visited the Seymour family. This brought great attention and honor to the Seymours and Henry was able to be away from the other beauties at court to notice Jane. However, Anne Boleyn was still pregnant at the time and Henry did not pursue Jane in any open way.
It was not until February 1536 when foreign ambassadors spoke of the rumors around Jane and Henry’s possible romance. Henry showered her with gifts that she would return back to him, and her siblings received high positions at court. Jane had a calm and soothing manner, which suited the King especially after the chase with Anne Boleyn. Not only that, Henry was becoming extremely disappointed with Anne; she bore him no children and this had become an embarrassment for him due to his split from Rome. Having Jane as a distraction was a catalyst for him to take action.
Henry started to declare publicly that Anne had bewitched him into marriage. Accusations of adultery started to appear, and on May 2, 1536, Anne was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. On May 19, Anne was beheaded and within 24 hours, Jane and Henry were betrothed. They were married on May 30 th and Jane was declared Queen on June 4, 1536. Jane was never given a grand coronation as Anne did; some say this is because Henry wanted Jane to prove that she could provide him with a son. It also did not help that on July 20, 1536, Henry Fitzroy, the Duke of Richmond and Henry’s only illegitimate son, had died at an early age of 17 years old.
In early 1537, Jane was confirmed to be pregnant. Finally, after waiting almost 30 years, an heir for England was granted and the public celebrated at the news. On October 13, 1537, Edward VI was born. However, Jane did not have much time to rejoice with the country. She was soon reported ill and died on October 24. Some say her death was due to complications of a Caesarian section, while others say it was her excessive indulgence in wine and sweets. But most historians believe that she had contracted puerperal fever, which was very common in the 16 th century.
It is said that Jane had a lasting impact in Henry’s memory. Her role as the mother of the heir was always remembered and after her death, Jane still appeared in royal portraits as the queen consort. Henry waited two years before he remarried, which is the longest time period between his marriages. Jane was also the only wife to be buried with Henry at Windsor Castle.
Jane’s personal motto was “Bound to Obey and Serve.”