A sad day in Tudor England – the death of Queen Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour © Hans Holbein the Younger – The National Portrait Gallery

On the 24th of October 1537, the country of England was in a state of mourning. The beloved Queen Jane Seymour, just two weeks after giving birth to the future king of England, sadly passed away. Yet no one was in a greater state of grief than her husband, Henry VIII. It’s said that after her death, the king fled to Windsor Castle to seclude himself away. Not one to remove himself from public life, this shows just how beloved Jane was to him; the wife who provided him with an heir.

It's not set in stone on what exactly caused Jane’s death, but it is strongly believed to be due to a postpartum infection, typically a puerperal fever. Puerperal fever is a bacterial infection that attacks the reproductive organs after childbirth. Left untreated, this infection can lead to sepsis. In the Tudor period, there were herbal remedies that could heal minor ailments and natural treatments that could soothe pains and aches, such as toothache or stomach cramps. But healing illnesses and infections caused by childbirth was near impossible. This was an age where antibiotics, antiseptic and general standards of hygiene during childbirth did not exist, resulting in a seriously high mortality rate for women; many women would die during or after giving birth. In the modern era, we have blood transfusions for women who suffer heavy bleeding during childbirth, antibiotics for puerperal fever and safer equipment to aid complications during the procedure. But sadly, for so many women in this period, they could not be saved. Since Jane lived for 12 days after giving birth, it is extremely likely that an infection developed.

Some people have speculated that Jane Seymour delivered Edward through a Caesarean section, yet this is highly unlikely. In 1560, a ballad named The Death of Queen Jane, described Jane being in labour for six days and begged the physicians to cut her sides for her baby to be saved, in which Henry agrees. Considering this was written 23 years after Jane’s death, this is very weak evidence and most certainly did not happen. In 1643, chronicler Sir Richard Baker claimed that Jane “was fain to be ripped”. Again, this was written over a century later and simply does not supply any useful evidence to suggest this happened. Even Catholic writer, Nicholas Sander, who stated in 1585 that Jane “was in severe labour…having the womb cut before she was dead, so that the child ready to be born might be taken out”, still does not imply Jane had a Caesarean birth. Again, this was written years after. All these sources were written by individuals who were not even present at the birth and recorded these years later. We cannot conclude anything with them and if anything, they were most likely written for dramatic, exaggerated effect.

Jane lived for two weeks after giving birth and if she had had a Caesarean section, it would have been an agonising death, albeit a quick one. Medical practitioners in the Tudor period were aware of Caesarean sections and there are even medieval manuscripts depicting the procedure and guides on how to carry one out. Yet this did not mean they were encouraged and were only used as a last resort, if at all. There are apparently no recorded Caesarean section births anywhere in England before 1580. In fact, many doctors and surgeons would only complete this procedure if they knew, or just presumed, the baby to be alive whilst the mother was dead. It was a seriously dangerous operation, and surgeons knew this by only doing so to potentially save a child. By the end of the sixteenth century, it’s believed that some surgeons were carrying Caesarean sections out on alive women, who were experiencing complicated births. Puerperal fever at this time, and even today, can develop from a Caesarean section, but again, it’s near impossible that Jane delivered her baby this way.

Despite puerperal fever almost certainly being the cause of Jane’s death, there are other theories. One that many people believe is that Jane died of food poisoning. The evidence we have from around the time could suggest that Jane passed away from dehydration and embolism which led to heart failure. Embolism is a condition that develops when a substance is trapped and lodged in a blood vessel, ultimately obstructing blood flow. This can then lead to heart failure. Jane could potentially have developed a thrombosis in her leg or pelvis which then broke off and travelled to her heart and lungs. It’s speculated that whilst being sick from food poisoning, she may have dislodged pieces of the clot. Having an embolism would have put severe strain on Jane’s heart and lungs, causing her to struggle to breathe. There is evidence that Jane could have been anaemic. Her skin was described as “so whitish that it may be called rather pale”. Whilst pregnant, Jane craved quails, a food rich in iron. It can be noted that many pregnant women crave food containing the nutrients their body needs. Anaemic women can suffer terribly during pregnancy. Ovaries can weaken and prevent the cells of a foetus from growing and developing properly, causing complications with childbirth.

Whilst some people do believe that Jane could have died from food poisoning, puerperal fever and an infection is most likely what killed her. Being anaemic would have made Jane much weaker and highly vulnerable to infection and an illness such as a fever, even sepsis, can cause embolism to develop. Much of the evidence and circumstance points to this being Jane’s cause of death. Still, this isn’t concrete, and we do not have anything to give us an exact cause of death. It’s possible that Jane could have died from blood clots, complications from anaemia or even from developing food poisoning. All these theories can cause complications during childbirth. Some people even suggest that Jane could have died from a retained placenta, causing a woman to be fatally ill.

Jane Seymour passed away at Hampton Court Palace, a location much beloved to Jane whilst she was alive and would continue to be cherished by her son, Edward VI, whilst he was a boy and one day, king of England. Jane’s death affected the people around her deeply, especially her husband Henry who was distraught and hid himself away in a state of grief. We do not know the exact causes of Jane’s death, but what we can continue to do is read and honour the life that Jane lived and the fascinating woman she was.

Resources:

1. The Lives of Tudor Women. Elizabeth Norton. Head of Zeus.

2. Tudor Times | Why did Jane Seymour Die in Childbed? by Alison Weir

3. The Death and Burial of Jane Seymour

4. 24 October 1537 - The death of Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII - The Anne Boleyn Files

5. 24 October 1537 - Death of Queen Jane Seymour - The Tudor Society