Jane Seymour

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Jane Seymour
Characteristics
Full name	Jane Seymour
Title	Queen of England
Born	c. 1509
Died	24 October 1537 (aged 29)
Nationality	English
Gender	Female
Personal information
Family	John Seymour (father) † Lady Seymour (mother) Edward Seymour (brother) Thomas Seymour (brother) Elizabeth Seymour (sister) Edward VI (son) Mary I (stepdaughter) Elizabeth I (stepdaughter)
Romances	Henry VIII (husband)
Occupations	Lady-in-waiting (former)
Affiliations	House of Tudor
Book information
Appears in	Anne Boleyn and Me Henry VIII's Wives
Locations	England
Timeline	April 1533 – October 1537

"Her modesty is impeccable, but her intention is plain. She will settle for nothing less than marriage."

—Elinor Valjean

Jane Seymour (c. 1509 – 24 October 1537) was the third wife of King Henry VIII. She was previously a lady-in-waiting to Henry's wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Shortly after Anne's execution, Jane and Henry were married. They were married for a little over a year when she gave birth to Edward VI in 1537. Jane died a few days later of childbed fever.

Biography

Early life

Jane was born into the Seymour family around 1509. She likely grew up at family's home, Wulfhall. Her father, John Seymour, was the sheriff of Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset. He did not come from aristocracy, being only a "wealthy farmer." Jane had several siblings, including Edward, Thomas, and Elizabeth.

1533 – 1537

At court, Jane served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon until the latter was sent away to The More. In April 1533, she was selected to join the household of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. By October 1535, King Henry VIII had taken an interest in Jane. Many expected her to become his next mistress. However, like Anne before her, Jane played coy and refused to be his mistress. Anne became jealous of Jane and soon began taking out her frustrations on her. In April 1536, Jane departed for Wulfhall with her brother Edward and his wife. Anne was accused of adultery and executed on 19 May. Jane and Henry were betrothed the next day and married at the end of the month.

In October of that year, Jane entreated Henry to stop destroying churches and monasteries. He was furious at her for interfering. During this time, Jane helped Henry reconcile with Mary. That December, Jane was unable to attend the funeral of her father because of duties as Queen. The following February, there were signs that Jane was pregnant. Her pregnancy was formally announced in April. In the months leading up to the birth, Jane became somewhat "snappy" due to her fear of giving birth. On 12 October 1537, she had her son Edward after being in labor for three days. Jane appeared in good health afterwards, but developed childbed fever and died just over a week later. She was buried at Windsor Castle on November 12.

Physical appearance

Beatrice Townhill described her as "not exactly beautiful."

Personality and traits

Elinor Valjean described Jane as being plain and sensible with "no sparkle at all." Her personality contrasted with that of Anne Boleyn, whom was Henry wife at the time. Elinor also likened her to a sheep, saying she was "meek to look at, but [knew] exactly what it want[ed]." Compared to Henry's first two wives, Jane was not as well educated and had no "wit to argue with anyone," being more inclined to agree with others. During her pregnancy, she became "very bossy and unreasonable" to her servants. However, it was manifestation of her stress regarding her pregnancy.

Behind the scenes

• Jane appeared in Anne Boleyn and Me and Henry VIII's Wives, both by Alison Prince.

Appearances

In chronological order:

• My Tudor Queen (Mentioned in the Historical Note)
• Anne Boleyn and Me
• Henry VIII's Wives
• Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (Mentioned only)
• "Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor" (film) (Mentioned only)
• Lady Jane Grey (Mentioned in the Historical Note)
• Bloody Tower (Mentioned in the Historical Note)
• The Queen's Spies (Mentioned in the Historical Note)

Further reading

• Jane Seymour at Biography
• Jane Seymour at English History
• Jane Seymour at Tudor History
• Jane Seymour on Wikipedia