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You are here: UK History > Royal History > House of Tudor > Henry VIII | The king with 6 wives > Jane Seymour
Henry’s third wife and mother to his only legitimate son, Jane Seymour died of natural causes following the birth of her son, the future King Edward VI. She is the only one of Henry’s wives to receive a queen’s funeral and he was later buried alongside her at Windsor Castle.
Born: Around 1508, Wiltshire, England
Died: 24th October (28 or 29), Hampton Court Palace, England
Queen: 4th June 1536 – 24th October 1537
Married: 30th May 1536 – 24th October 1537
Spouses: Henry VIII of England
Parents: Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth
Children: Edward VI of England
Jane was likely born in Wiltshire and though her date of birth has not been confirmed, it is generally believed to have been at some point in 1508. Through...Read More
Henry’s third wife and mother to his only legitimate son, Jane Seymour died of natural causes following the birth of her son, the future King Edward VI. She is the only one of Henry’s wives to receive a queen’s funeral and he was later buried alongside her at Windsor Castle.
Born: Around 1508, Wiltshire, England
Died: 24th October (28 or 29), Hampton Court Palace, England
Queen: 4th June 1536 – 24th October 1537
Married: 30th May 1536 – 24th October 1537
Spouses: Henry VIII of England
Parents: Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth
Children: Edward VI of England
Jane was likely born in Wiltshire and though her date of birth has not been confirmed, it is generally believed to have been at some point in 1508. Through her mother’s family she was a descendant of King Edward III, which made her Henry VIII’s fifth cousin. She also shared a great-grandmother with both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Unlike Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Jane was not well educated, she could only read and write at a basic level and was known to have been mostly trained in needlework. She became maid of honour to Catherine of Aragon in 1532 and went on to serve Anne Boleyn as a Lady in Waiting, she reportedly caught the king’s attention less than three months before Anne’s death.
Jane was generally reported as being gentle, simple, meek and chaste.
Henry and Jane were betrothed on 20th May 1536, the day after Anne Boleyn’s execution. They married at the Palace of Whitehall ten days later. As a wedding gift, he granted her 104 manors in four counties, as well as several forests and an income to support her during their marriage. She was publicly proclaimed queen on 4th June 1536, she was well-received by the public, mostly because of her sympathy for Catherine of Aragon and Mary, though she was never officially crowned because of plague, which overtook London at the time. It is also debated that Henry may have been reluctant to crown her before knowing if she could produce a male heir.
Jane was said to have been strict and formal as queen, unlike Anne Boleyn, who was extravagant and enjoyed art and music. She banned the French fashions introduced by Anne and was conservative in her politics, rarely getting involved in state affairs. However, this could have been because she saw what happened to the last wife to involve herself in politics.
Jane and Mary formed a close relationship and Jane made efforts to have her restored to court and the line of succession behind her own children. She was unsuccessful in the latter but did reconcile father and daughter, she would eventually be included in the line of succession thanks to wife number six, Catherine Parr.
It is believed that Jane lost her first child with Henry but was pregnant again shortly afterwards and had a craving for quail, which the king ordered for her from France and Belgium. She gave birth to the future king and Henry’s only legitimate son, Edward IV on 12th October at Hampton Court Palace. He was christened a few days later and both Mary and Elizabeth were included in the ceremony.
Jane’s labour lasted for almost five days and had been incredibly difficult. She became increasingly more ill following the birth and died on 24th October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace, though her exact cause of death has never been decided, it is generally agreed that she died because of complications during labour.
Jane was buried on 12th November in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, with her funeral being presided over by Mary, as chief mourner. She was the only one of Henry’s wives to receive a queen’s funeral and after her death, he wore black for three months, though did tentatively begin searching for a new wife prior to the funeral. He put on weight and developed diabetes and gout during this time, which many put down to his depression at losing his wife. It is true that he was buried with her following his death and that he referred to Jane as being his favourite wife because she gave him a son.
Like Anne before her, Jane was able to use her influence to advance her family. Two of her brothers Thomas and Edward, both improved their fortunes thanks to her role, Edward became Lord Protector and de facto ruler of the country after his nephew's ascension, though both Seymour brothers later fell out of favour.
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