Embracing the Stepmother role - Jane Seymour and her infant stepdaughter, Elizabeth Tudor
- Kali Hollands
- Jun 27
- 5 min read
Jane Seymour © Hans Holbein the Younger – The National Portrait Gallery
May 1536 saw a bloody and callous period of British history: the downfall and execution of Anne Boleyn. On the 19th of that month, Anne Boleyn bravely faced the scaffold erected at the Tower of London and with a final blow of the executioner’s sword, her life was over. All on the basis of trumped-up charges of adultery and treason. If this wasn’t enough to demonstrate the cruelty of both Henry VIII and his advisors, the following day witnessed the secret betrothal of the king and his new lover, Jane Seymour. Henry had been smitten with Jane for many months by now, and it would take no fool to realise this marriage was planned prior to Anne’s execution.
But a large piece of Anne still remained: her daughter Elizabeth Tudor.
What was to become of the infant princess and how exactly did Jane Seymour deal with her newly appointed role as stepmother?
Elizabeth was just two years old when her mother’s life came to a brutal end. Just a week later, on the 30th of May, her father married Jane Seymour. Quicker than their vows were exchanged, Elizabeth was immediately declared illegitimate and removed from the royal succession. Her blood was tainted with that of her mother and there would be no chance in Henry’s eyes of her holding a royal title. Her name was even downgraded to “Lady” instead of “Princess”. It seemed that Elizabeth was to be discarded and forgotten.
It's well known that Jane Seymour was a doting stepmother to Mary Tudor, daughter of Catherine of Aragon. For many years, Henry held resentment and was exceedingly cruel towards Mary, as she refused to acknowledge Anne Boleyn as queen and her new stepmother. Her loyalty for her mother would not be shaken, and this infuriated the king. Furthermore, she failed to accept him as the Head of The Church of England, which was technically treason to go against royal will. As a result, Henry refused to see or treat his daughter with kindness, and eventually, she never saw her mother again. This mistreatment changed once Jane Seymour was queen. She consistently sought to solve the rift between Henry and his daughter and Jane was very fond of her. Granting her special royal favours, Jane helped reconcile her relationship with Henry and pushed her husband to restore Mary to the royal succession.
But what of Elizabeth?
Henry VIII with Prince Edward and Jane Seymour, and Mary I and Elizabeth I as princesses painted after Jane's death with Katherine Parr (Henry's final wife) being used as a stand-in for Jane | Photo credit: GL Archive / Alamy
Little is known of Jane’s relationship with Elizabeth, but as she was practically removed from court, it’s unlikely the two would have frequently been in each other’s company. We simply cannot ever determine Jane’s reasoning for championing Mary more predominantly. Jane is noted for her kind, calm and pious nature and it seems unlikely that she could ever have ill will towards anyone, let alone the tiny Elizabeth. It may be a case of Jane’s unfamiliarity with Elizabeth or perhaps due to the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was not as popular as Catherine of Aragon or held the same royal status. Plus, Anne Boleyn was a traitor, and Elizabeth was a daughter of a traitor. The charges and execution of Anne were also fresh.
It may have placed Jane in a precarious position to champion her husband to restore Elizabeth to the throne or would have been a very unsupported decision, in contrast to Mary, who was daughter of the much beloved Catherine. It seems an unfair choice to consistently attack Jane for her motivations and support of Mary, in such a tumultuous royal and political climate she was placed in. Some views claim that Jane favoured Mary over Elizabeth due to an aspect of social snobbery and the fact that Mary is of royal blood on both sides. But as mentioned, we simply do not know the reasoning. Historian Martin A.S Hume claims that Jane told Henry; “Your Majesty knows how bad Queen Anne was, and it is not fit that her daughter should be Princess.” Whether this is true or not, it cannot be certain. Again, this may not have been through a presumed malicious intent but perhaps to remain safe in the eyes of Henry and his advisors by not requesting such a bold decision.
However, some sources state how it was evident that Jane disliked Elizabeth. The young Elizabeth was so neglected, that her governess pleaded to the Royal household to send her new clothes as she grew into her childhood. On the rare occasion Elizabeth did appear, Jane apparently ordered Elizabeth to sit far away at another table. It appears in some historical discussions, that Jane purposefully alienated Elizabeth from her father and went out of her way to be cruel.
Could this be true?
It’s a topic we would most likely never reach a definite conclusion for. But if it was, it could also potentially change how Jane has always typically been viewed. Shy, meek and obedient to an ambitious, cunning and confident woman.
Whilst not as prominent as her devotion to pushing Mary back onto the line of succession, Jane did in fact request that Elizabeth was also restored. This further supports the notion that Jane was a woman of kind countenance, who sought to mend the fragile and patchy Tudor family and bring about peace. If this is true that Jane did ask to place Elizabeth back in the line of succession, it means that Jane did not have ill-will towards the princess. Again, her stronger support and relationship with Mary could truly be down to the fact that Elizabeth was much younger than Mary and frequently absent at court.
Elizabeth was four years old when Jane gave birth to Edward. His baptism took place at Hampton Court Palace and whilst Mary respectfully was given the important role of godmother, Elizabeth held the chrisom cloth.
If this tiny princess was so disliked and ill-treated by both father and stepmother, would she have even been there?
Or was this just traditional royal protocol?
We simply cannot reach definitive conclusions and have clear answers to many aspects of history, and Tudor history as a whole. A main area of this being what really was the relationship like between Jane Seymour and Elizabeth Tudor? Many followers of history do tend to point the blame at women such as Jane Seymour for certain questionable choices or actions, but we must remember this was a time period long ago, with completely different morals and circumstances. Jane Seymour was placed in a temperamental and vicious political and royal court; her choices may have been to keep herself safe and most likely were due to the fact that Elizabeth was very young and absent from court. It could all file down to circumstances.
We will never truly know what Jane Seymour was like as a stepmother to the young Elizabeth, but I think many of us would like to imagine that Jane Seymour held no ill-will in her heart and at least somebody showed a kindness to the neglected Elizabeth.
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