Jane Seymour © Hans Holbein the Younger – The National Portrait Gallery
Less then two weeks after Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London, Henry VIII married his third, and presumed favourite wife, Jane Seymour.
Just three years earlier, Anne was the love of Henry’s life but by 1536, their marriage had turned sour, and his eyes had wandered towards Jane Seymour, one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting.
But why and when did this love affair start?
Why did Henry so suddenly change his mind, and just what was it about Jane that had inflicted his love for her?
It’s time to explore when Jane Seymour, caught the king’s eye.
. . .
Anne Boleyn and Henry’s marriage began to falter for numerous reasons. The primary factor was due to Anne’s inability to provide her husband with the male heir he so desperately needed. After the birth of Princess Elizabeth, they had no more children. Poor Anne suffered from numerous miscarriages and Henry began to question whether he had made the right decision by marrying Anne.
Should he have stayed with Catherine?
Was God punishing him for his divorce?
The advisors and councillors around him began to feed his doubts like the devil’s advocate on his shoulder; something needed to be done. Many men amongst Henry’s circle were against Anne from the very start and her miscarriages were a perfect opportunity to encourage Henry to get rid of her. Not only this, but Anne had begun to be too much for Henry. Once attracted to her sexy, outspoken and ambitious nature, her fiery attitude sparked arguments and discontent between them. Presumably, this is when Henry began to seek outside solutions to this now disastrous marriage, and the solution would be a certain young lady amongst the Tudor court.
In 1534, Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys recorded that an affair had begun between Henry and an unnamed woman serving Anne Boleyn. Many believe this to be Jane Seymour, as she was a lady-in-waiting in her household. However, many historians believe their affair started in 1535 when the king visited Jane’s father, John Seymour, at Wolf Hall in Wiltshire. This was a stop during Henry and Anne’s royal progress across England. It’s speculated by some that the king chose this place deliberately as Jane Seymour was there, and he had already taken a fancy to her.
Despite being a fiction novel, writer Alison Weir paints a vivid picture of this theory in her novel on Jane Seymour’s life. Describing how Henry fell in love with Jane and her calm, pious nature whilst he stayed at her home. The two spend much time together, and Henry even declares his love for her during a moonlit walk. Of course this is fiction, but could this really have been the turning point for Henry’s afflictions for her?
It’s not known for certain where Jane was at this time. Some historians state that Jane most likely stayed behind in London. So much of their early relationship is unknown.
Many theories are attached to why Henry fell in love with Jane. It’s suggested that Jane was the complete opposite of Anne Boleyn; quiet whilst Anne stood her ground, calm whilst Anne was bold and confident. Anne was a religious woman, but Jane is renowned for her modesty and pious character. That isn’t to say she was a boring and meek woman, as many claim to say. Jane was incredibly kind and a perfect example that confidence and strength does not have to be loud. Henry was beginning to lose his patience with Anne, and needed a woman who would not argue back and prevent his temper from rising. Jane was an attractive solution for him. It’s also noted that the Seymours had good genes and fertility throughout the family; Jane’s mother had given birth to many sons. This could certainly contribute to Henry’s interest in Jane Seymour; could she be the wife to bear him a future king?
Anne’s final miscarriage on the 29th of January 1536, seems to be the absolute breaking point for Anne and Henry’s marriage. It was rumoured that she had lost a son, and Henry offered no support or sympathy for his wife. He was both furious and humiliated. The king was renowned for taking mistresses and most certainly by this point, he was completely smitten with Jane Seymour. The court was rife with tension and gossip, whisperings that Anne Boleyn had failed to provide Henry with a son and that his affections for her had vanished. There is one particular story that sticks out during this time, but uncertain whether it actually happened. According to Jane Dormer, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary, Anne had walked in on Jane Seymour sitting on the king’s knee and her heartbreak had caused her to miscarry. This is a fabricated story; Jane Dormer was born in 1538, two years after this event, and claimed she heard this rumour from a former lady-in-waiting to Anne, who would have been old in age by the time Jane Dormer was grown. This miscarriage was now the opportune moment for Anne’s enemies to create plans and convince the king to be rid of her.
Much like Anne, Jane Seymour did not want to be a mistress to the king, and it was reported that she had refused a royal gift sent to her from Henry. Refusing to be just a mere mistress, means that Jane was a woman who stood her ground and recognised her worth. This could be an example of Jane “teasing” the king and playing the game of courtly love; rejecting his offers and affections would only increase his pining and longing to win her heart. Jane’s family, particularly her brothers and fathers, were highly ambitious and most likely encouraged Jane Seymour to court the king, as it would place her family high in the royal favour.
Chapuys reported that on the 10th of February 1536, the king gave “great presents” to Jane and appointed her brother, Edward, to the king’s privy chamber on the 3rd of March. Edward and his wife were even given private apartments in Greenwich Palace, which many believe were designed in a way that Henry could secretly court and visit Jane whilst her brother acted as a chaperone. Again, Chapuys who was witness to many ongoings in the court, reported that the king was “paying court to Jane” by the 1st of April. During this time, the plans to remove Anne from the throne were high in action ; just over a month later, she would be executed.
Interestingly, Jane was still refusing gifts and money sent from the king. According to one report, she sent a bag of money unopened back to him and stated: “there was no treasure in this world that she valued as much as her honour, and on no account would she lose it, even if she were to die a thousand deaths”. This is more evidence that Jane was playing a flirtatious game, but also a strong-minded woman who was considering her options.
By this stage, Anne was well aware of the king’s affections towards Jane Seymour. At last, Jane had accepted a gift from the king, and this was a necklace. According to one story, Anne asked Jane if she could have a look at the necklace and once seeing that it contained a portrait of the king, she ripped it from Jane’s neck. Other stories claim that Anne had scratched and slapped Jane on numerous occasions. This is not known for certain and most likely sensationalized.
During Anne’s trial and by the end of April 1536, Jane was sent away from court to Beddington, the estate of Sir Nicholas Carew. But not for long. By the 14th of May, Jane was sent to Chelsea, a mile away from the king’s lodgings. By this point, Jane would be well aware that plans were in place for Anne’s execution. Jane now knew that she would most likely become queen of England.
Did she have strong affections for the king as he did for her?
Did she want to become queen for her own and her family’s success?
Did she even want to be queen and did she feel great sympathy for Anne?
We will never know.
On the 19th of May 1536, cannons fired to mark the signal that Anne Boleyn had been executed. It was now time for Henry to make his intentions clear and set in place his betrothal to Jane Seymour, who he married on the 30th of May.
From lady-in-waiting and a woman much on the sidelines of the Tudor court, Jane worked her way up the social hierarchy and became Queen of England. By catching the king’s eye, through no intention of her own, Jane placed her and her family in a successful position in Tudor England and she became one of the most infamous names in history.
Sources:
https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/jane-seymour/#gs.k4hwyy
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/anne-boleyn/#gs.k4kgqk
Alison Weir. Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen. Headline Review.
https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/the-rise-and-tragic-fall-of-henry-viiis-third-queen-jane-seymour/
https://tudorsdynasty.com/jane-seymour-third-wife-henry-viii/
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