1 | <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>
|
---|
2 | <!DOCTYPE Archive SYSTEM "http://greenstone.org/dtd/Archive/1.0/Archive.dtd">
|
---|
3 | <Archive>
|
---|
4 | <Section>
|
---|
5 | <Description>
|
---|
6 | <Metadata name="gsdlsourcefilename">import\englishhistory.net\tudor\monarchs\seymour.html</Metadata>
|
---|
7 | <Metadata name="gsdldoctype">indexed_doc</Metadata>
|
---|
8 | <Metadata name="Plugin">HTMLPlugin</Metadata>
|
---|
9 | <Metadata name="FileSize">16478</Metadata>
|
---|
10 | <Metadata name="Source">seymour.html</Metadata>
|
---|
11 | <Metadata name="SourceFile">seymour.html</Metadata>
|
---|
12 | <Metadata name="Language">en</Metadata>
|
---|
13 | <Metadata name="Encoding">windows_1252</Metadata>
|
---|
14 | <Metadata name="Page_topic">Jane Seymour third wife of King Henry VIII mother of King Edward VI</Metadata>
|
---|
15 | <Metadata name="Content">Jane Seymour third wife of King Henry VIII mother of King Edward VI</Metadata>
|
---|
16 | <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
|
---|
17 | <Metadata name="Title">Jane Seymour: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</Metadata>
|
---|
18 | <Metadata name="FileFormat">HTML</Metadata>
|
---|
19 | <Metadata name="URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/seymour.html</Metadata>
|
---|
20 | <Metadata name="UTF8URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/seymour.html</Metadata>
|
---|
21 | <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Monarchs</Metadata>
|
---|
22 | <Metadata name="Identifier">HASHe1b45f3b9dd33758249397</Metadata>
|
---|
23 | <Metadata name="lastmodified">1374130950</Metadata>
|
---|
24 | <Metadata name="lastmodifieddate">20130718</Metadata>
|
---|
25 | <Metadata name="oailastmodified">1374468795</Metadata>
|
---|
26 | <Metadata name="oailastmodifieddate">20130722</Metadata>
|
---|
27 | <Metadata name="assocfilepath">HASHe1b45f3b.dir</Metadata>
|
---|
28 | <Metadata name="gsdlassocfile">seymourcardinal.gif:image/gif:</Metadata>
|
---|
29 | <Metadata name="gsdlassocfile">seymourhorenbout1.jpg:image/jpeg:</Metadata>
|
---|
30 | <Metadata name="gsdlassocfile">seymourbiography.jpg:image/jpeg:</Metadata>
|
---|
31 | </Description>
|
---|
32 | <Content>
|
---|
33 |
|
---|
34 | <table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="607">
|
---|
35 | <tr>
|
---|
36 | <td width="25%" height="1"></td>
|
---|
37 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="1"><p></td>
|
---|
38 | <td width="25%" height="1"></td>
|
---|
39 | </tr>
|
---|
40 | <tr>
|
---|
41 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
|
---|
42 | <td width="50%" height="3">
|
---|
43 | <p align="center"><font size="4">Here lies Jane, a phoenix <BR>Who
|
---|
44 | died in giving another phoenix birth. <BR>Let her be mourned, for
|
---|
45 | birds like these <BR>Are rare indeed. <BR></font><I><FONT size=-1>Jane
|
---|
46 | Seymour's epitaph</FONT></I> </td>
|
---|
47 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
|
---|
48 | </tr>
|
---|
49 | <tr>
|
---|
50 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
|
---|
51 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
|
---|
52 | <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
|
---|
53 | <p align="center">
|
---|
54 | <img border="0" src="_httpdocimg_/seymourcardinal.gif" alt="Jane Seymour" width="336" height="91"></p>
|
---|
55 | <p align="center">
|
---|
56 | <img border="0" src="_httpdocimg_/seymourhorenbout1.jpg" alt="miniature portrait of Jane Seymour by Lucas Horenbout" width="325" height="327"></p>
|
---|
57 | <p align="center">
|
---|
58 | <i><font size="2">miniature portrait of Jane Seymour by Lucas Horenbout</font></i></p>
|
---|
59 | <p align="left">
|
---|
60 | <B><br>Henry VIII had
|
---|
61 | six wives but only one gave him a son.&nbsp; Jane Seymour fulfilled her
|
---|
62 | most important duty as queen, but she was never crowned and died just
|
---|
63 | twelve days after the long and arduous birth.&nbsp; She was Henry's third
|
---|
64 | wife and seems never to have made much of an impression upon anyone except
|
---|
65 | the king.&nbsp; Her meek and circumspect manner was in distinct contrast
|
---|
66 | to Henry's second wife, the sharp-tongued Anne Boleyn.&nbsp; Jane had
|
---|
67 | served as lady-in-waiting to Anne and she supplanted her in much the same
|
---|
68 | way Anne had replaced Katharine of Aragon in Henry's affections.&nbsp; We
|
---|
69 | will never know if Jane sought the king's favor or was a frightened pawn
|
---|
70 | of her family and the king's desire.&nbsp; But we do know that she bravely
|
---|
71 | sought pardons for those involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt in
|
---|
72 | 1536.&nbsp; Rebuked by the king, and mindful of the fates of his first two
|
---|
73 | wives, she retired into a quiet and decorous role.&nbsp; The triumphant
|
---|
74 | birth of her son Edward allowed her two ambitious brothers into the king's
|
---|
75 | inner circle; however, both would be executed during Edward's reign.</B>
|
---|
76 | </p>
|
---|
77 | <p align="left">&nbsp;</p>
|
---|
78 | <BLOCKQUOTE>
|
---|
79 | <p><A
|
---|
80 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fseymour.html#Biography">
|
---|
81 | <font size="4">Read
|
---|
82 | the biography of Jane Seymour.</font></A></p>
|
---|
83 | <p>&nbsp;</p>
|
---|
84 | <P><B>Primary Sources</B> <BR>Read <A
|
---|
85 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html">letters written by
|
---|
86 | Jane</A>. <BR><A
|
---|
87 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fed6birth.html">Jane Seymour's
|
---|
88 | pregnancy is announced</A>, 1537.</P></BLOCKQUOTE>
|
---|
89 | <BLOCKQUOTE>
|
---|
90 | <p>Visit <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2fimages.html">Tudor England:
|
---|
91 | Images</a> to view portraits of Jane. <BR>Visit the <A
|
---|
92 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fedward6.html">King Edward
|
---|
93 | VI site</A> to learn more about Jane's son. </p>
|
---|
94 | <P>Test your knowledge of Jane Seymour's life at <A
|
---|
95 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2ftudor1.html">Tudor
|
---|
96 | Quizzes</A>.</P>
|
---|
97 | <P><br><font size="2"><b>Interact<br></b>Meet other Six Wives enthusiasts at
|
---|
98 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fladiesallfanlist.cjb.net">Ladies All: A Fanlisting for
|
---|
99 | the Six Wives of Henry VIII</a>.<br><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2ftudorhistory.org%2flists%2flist.html">
|
---|
100 | Tudor Talk </a>&nbsp;This email discussion list is sponsored by
|
---|
101 | Tudorhistory.org.<br>
|
---|
102 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fgroups.yahoo.com%2fgroup%2fReign%5fof%5fthe%5fTudors%5frpg">Reign
|
---|
103 | of the Tudors</a>&nbsp; This is a role-playing game set in 16th century
|
---|
104 | England.&nbsp; If you would like to 'play' Jane Grey or Anne Boleyn or
|
---|
105 | other Tudors, click the link to join.</font></P>
|
---|
106 | </BLOCKQUOTE></td>
|
---|
107 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
|
---|
108 | </tr>
|
---|
109 | </table>
|
---|
110 | <blockquote>
|
---|
111 | <p>&nbsp;</p>
|
---|
112 | <p><A name=Biography></A><B>Biography</B> <BR>Jane Seymour's
|
---|
113 | family was of ancient and respectable lineage.&nbsp; Her father was Sir
|
---|
114 | John Seymour of Wolf Hall in Wiltshire; he served in the Tournai
|
---|
115 | campaign of 1513 and accompanied Henry VIII to the Field of the Cloth of
|
---|
116 | Gold in 1520.&nbsp; He was made a knight of the body and later a
|
---|
117 | gentleman of the king's bedchamber.&nbsp; Both positions were very
|
---|
118 | desirable for they allowed personal access to the king.&nbsp; Courtiers
|
---|
119 | were always desperate to gain the king's ear, if even for a brief
|
---|
120 | moment.&nbsp; Sir John was able to secure appointments at
|
---|
121 | court for his family; of his eight children, three would come to
|
---|
122 | historical prominence - the eldest son Edward as duke of Somerset and
|
---|
123 | Lord Protector, another son Thomas as Lord Admiral and husband of Henry VIII's last queen, and his daughter Jane as queen of England.
|
---|
124 | </p>
|
---|
125 | <P>The Seymour rise to prominence at Henry's court mirrored that of the
|
---|
126 | Boleyns; it was the path sought by all English families with a minor
|
---|
127 | pedigree or clever son.&nbsp; But gaining the king's favor was rather
|
---|
128 | different than maintaining it and the Seymours proved far more adept at
|
---|
129 | the latter.
|
---|
130 | <P>Jane's birthdate is unknown; various accounts use anywhere from 1504
|
---|
131 | to 1509.&nbsp; She first came to court as a lady-in-waiting to <A
|
---|
132 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2faragon.html">Katharine of
|
---|
133 | Aragon</A>, Henry VIII's first wife.&nbsp; But soon enough <A
|
---|
134 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html">Anne
|
---|
135 | Boleyn</A> was queen and Jane attended her.&nbsp; She witnessed
|
---|
136 | first-hand the tempestuous relationship between Anne and Henry.&nbsp;
|
---|
137 | Jane herself was known for her quiet and soothing manner.&nbsp;
|
---|
138 | Certainly Henry knew of her but there is no evidence that he took
|
---|
139 | particular notice until September 1535 when his royal progress stopped
|
---|
140 | at Wolf Hall.&nbsp; Such a visit was a great honor for the Seymour
|
---|
141 | family.&nbsp; And it brought Jane, away from court and its flirtatious
|
---|
142 | young beauties, immediately to the king's attention.&nbsp;
|
---|
143 | <P>Many historians have argued this was the beginning of Henry's
|
---|
144 | infatuation, but it was unlikely.&nbsp; Anne Boleyn was not completely
|
---|
145 | out of favor just yet; she was pregnant again,<img border="2" src="_httpdocimg_/seymourbiography.jpg" alt="portrait of Jane Seymour by an unknown artist" align="right" width="275" height="423"> though she would suffer a
|
---|
146 | miscarriage in January.&nbsp; And Henry's flirtations were confined to
|
---|
147 | Anne's cousin, Madge Shelton.&nbsp; Jane Seymour was perhaps in the
|
---|
148 | king's thoughts but he did nothing for several months.
|
---|
149 | <P>
|
---|
150 | In February 1536, however, foreign ambassadors began to report rumors
|
---|
151 | of the king's romance with Jane.&nbsp; They speculated upon her chances
|
---|
152 | of becoming queen.&nbsp; Henry made his affection clear to Jane; she
|
---|
153 | received costly gifts (which she prudently returned) and her brothers
|
---|
154 | were promoted at court.&nbsp; In April 1536, Edward Seymour and his wife
|
---|
155 | moved to rooms which connected through a hidden passage with the king's
|
---|
156 | apartments.&nbsp; Henry could thus continue his courtship of Jane in
|
---|
157 | relative privacy.
|
---|
158 | <P>But the king was also mindful of the vicious rumors and public
|
---|
159 | outrage which had accompanied his open courtship of Anne Boleyn while
|
---|
160 | still wed to Katharine of Aragon.&nbsp; He was far more discreet with
|
---|
161 | Jane, and this undoubtedly suited her character.&nbsp; She was content
|
---|
162 | to remain unknown.&nbsp; There were rumors that she would not dine alone
|
---|
163 | with the king, insisting always upon a chaperone, and that she responded
|
---|
164 | to a particularly bold flirtation by reminding the king of his marriage.
|
---|
165 |
|
---|
166 | <P>Henry did not need to be reminded of his second marriage; it had
|
---|
167 | become a bitter disappointment for him.&nbsp; He was determined to rid
|
---|
168 | himself of Anne Boleyn.&nbsp; Jane's presence was merely another impetus
|
---|
169 | for action.
|
---|
170 | <P>Another impetus was the death of Katharine of Aragon on 7 January
|
---|
171 | 1536.&nbsp; All of Europe, and most Englishmen, had regarded her as the
|
---|
172 | king's rightful wife and Anne as merely his concubine.&nbsp; On 29
|
---|
173 | January, Anne miscarried a son; the king ominously declared that he
|
---|
174 | would have no more children by her.&nbsp; For Henry, it was suddenly
|
---|
175 | clear that if he could rid himself of Anne and marry Jane, then he would
|
---|
176 | have a legitimate marriage recognized by all and another possibility for
|
---|
177 | a son.
|
---|
178 | <P>The king began to mention publicly that he had been bewitched into
|
---|
179 | marriage with Anne; he knew his words would reach her.&nbsp; Anne was
|
---|
180 | terrified but could do little.&nbsp; She had few friends at court,
|
---|
181 | and even those were prepared to desert her for the king's favor.&nbsp;
|
---|
182 | On 2 May, she was arrested and taken to the Tower of London.&nbsp; On
|
---|
183 | 15 May, she was condemned to death; Henry sent a personal message to
|
---|
184 | Jane with the news.&nbsp; Four days later Anne was executed; the day
|
---|
185 | after, 20 May, the king was formally betrothed to Jane.&nbsp; They
|
---|
186 | married ten days later on 30 May and Jane was publicly declared queen on
|
---|
187 | 4 June.&nbsp; She chose an apt motto, 'Bound to Obey and Serve'.
|
---|
188 | <P>She was never granted the lavish coronation which Anne had
|
---|
189 | enjoyed.&nbsp; It was summertime and the minor plagues were sweeping
|
---|
190 | through London; the king said she must wait until the spring to be
|
---|
191 | crowned.&nbsp; It is also possible, and was rumored, that Henry had no
|
---|
192 | intention of crowning Jane until she had proved her worth and provided a
|
---|
193 | son.&nbsp; If she proved barren, he could annul their marriage with
|
---|
194 | hopefully little fanfare.
|
---|
195 | <P>Almost a decade had passed since the 'King's Great Matter' first
|
---|
196 | began and still Henry did not have a legitimate heir.&nbsp; And on 20
|
---|
197 | July 1536, he received the devastating news that his only illegitimate
|
---|
198 | son, Henry Fitzroy, duke of Richmond, had died at the age of 17.&nbsp;
|
---|
199 | There had always been the possibility that Fitzroy could have succeeded
|
---|
200 | him, but now Henry VIII was left with only two daughters, both declared
|
---|
201 | illegitimate.&nbsp; It is certain that if Jane had not provided a son,
|
---|
202 | she would have been quickly discarded.&nbsp; Personal affection could
|
---|
203 | not overcome political necessity.
|
---|
204 | <P>But Jane was able to provide the king with his fondest wish.&nbsp;
|
---|
205 | And indeed the whole country wished for an heir; they had no desire to
|
---|
206 | return to ruinous civil war.&nbsp;
|
---|
207 | <P>Rumors of her pregnancy began almost immediately after her
|
---|
208 | marriage.&nbsp; But it wasn't early 1537 that rumors could finally be
|
---|
209 | confirmed as fact.&nbsp; The London chronicler Edward Hall recorded
|
---|
210 | public rejoicing at news of Jane's quickening:&nbsp; 'On 27 May
|
---|
211 | 1537, Trinity Sunday, there was a Te Deum sung in St Paul's cathedral
|
---|
212 | for joy at the queen's quickening of her child, my lord chancellor, lord
|
---|
213 | privy seal and various other lords and bishops being then present; the
|
---|
214 | mayor and aldermen with the best guilds of the city being there in their
|
---|
215 | liveries, all giving laud and praise to God for joy about it.'
|
---|
216 | <P>Bonfires were lit and celebrations held throughout England; prayers
|
---|
217 | were offered for a safe delivery.&nbsp; In early October, Jane went to
|
---|
218 | Hampton Court Palace for her lying-in and on 12 October, after a long
|
---|
219 | and difficult labor, she gave birth to the wished-for son.&nbsp; It was
|
---|
220 | the eve of St Edward's day and so he was baptized by that name on 15
|
---|
221 | October.&nbsp; His two half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, attended the
|
---|
222 | splendid christening ceremony.&nbsp; Mary stood as godmother; Elizabeth
|
---|
223 | was carried in the arms of Thomas Seymour, Jane's brother who would
|
---|
224 | later plan to marry her.&nbsp; Her grandfather, Thomas Boleyn, also
|
---|
225 | attended the ceremony.
|
---|
226 | <P>After 29 years as king of England, Henry VIII finally had a
|
---|
227 | legitimate male heir.&nbsp; Past grievances could be forgotten at this
|
---|
228 | grand moment.
|
---|
229 | <P>Jane did not savor her success for long.&nbsp; The christening
|
---|
230 | ceremony had begun in her bedchamber; she was wrapped in robes and
|
---|
231 | carried on a litter to the king's chapel.&nbsp; She was able to
|
---|
232 | participate but the long ordeal proved too much.&nbsp; She was already
|
---|
233 | weak and exhausted; she needed quiet and rest and received
|
---|
234 | neither.&nbsp; Only a day later, it was reported that the queen was very
|
---|
235 | ill.&nbsp; Her condition quickly worsened.&nbsp; She was delirious and
|
---|
236 | had a&nbsp; high fever; doctors bled her and attendants hastened to
|
---|
237 | fulfill her craving for sweets and wine.&nbsp; The king's chief minister
|
---|
238 | Cromwell would later blame the sweets for her death but they did little
|
---|
239 | to harm Jane.&nbsp; Modern historians believe she had puerperal sepsis,
|
---|
240 | or 'childbed fever'.&nbsp; It was all too common in the 16th century.
|
---|
241 | <P>It was later rumored that she died from complications of a Cesarean
|
---|
242 | section, that Henry VIII had ordered the child ripped from her womb, but this was unlikely.&nbsp; There were no reports that she was
|
---|
243 | bleeding excessively and she was able to attend the christening and
|
---|
244 | greet visitors.&nbsp; Sadly, Jane was a victim of her times.&nbsp; Poor
|
---|
245 | hygiene and medical knowledge could not stop the fever which finally
|
---|
246 | killed her near midnight on 24 October.
|
---|
247 | <P>Jane's early death, at the moment of her great triumph, and her
|
---|
248 | gentle character had an enduring hold on Henry VIII's memory.&nbsp; She
|
---|
249 | was given a solemn state funeral; Princess Mary acted as her chief
|
---|
250 | mourner.&nbsp; In her short time as queen, Jane had attempted to
|
---|
251 | reconcile Henry and his stubborn daughter.&nbsp; Her body was embalmed
|
---|
252 | and laid to rest in the tomb at Windsor Castle which Henry was building
|
---|
253 | for himself.&nbsp; Years after her death, even while he was married to
|
---|
254 | other women, Jane continued to appear in royal portraits as queen
|
---|
255 | consort.&nbsp; Her special status as mother to the heir was never
|
---|
256 | forgotten.
|
---|
257 | <P>The king wore black until well into 1538 and waited more than two
|
---|
258 | years to marry again.&nbsp; This was the longest interval between
|
---|
259 | marriages during his reign.&nbsp; <BR>&nbsp; <BR>&nbsp; <BR>
|
---|
260 | <CENTER>
|
---|
261 | <P><FONT size=-1><A
|
---|
262 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fwives.html">to the Six
|
---|
263 | Wives main page</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1><A
|
---|
264 | href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor.html">to Tudor
|
---|
265 | England</A></FONT><P><font size="-1">
|
---|
266 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">to Primary
|
---|
267 | Sources</a></font></CENTER>
|
---|
268 | </blockquote>
|
---|
269 |
|
---|
270 |
|
---|
271 |
|
---|
272 | <!-- text below generated by server. PLEASE REMOVE --><!-- Counter/Statistics data collection code --><script language="JavaScript" src="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;href=http:%2f%2fhostingprod.com%2fjs%5fsource%2fgeov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;el=direct&amp;href=http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082568" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript>
|
---|
273 | <IMG SRC="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=0&amp;el=direct&amp;href=http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=76001524&t=1108082568" ALT=1 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1>
|
---|
274 | </Content>
|
---|
275 | </Section>
|
---|
276 | </Archive>
|
---|