Jane Seymour © Hans Holbein the Younger – The National Portrait Gallery
Divorced, beheaded… who comes next?
To say that Henry VIII shocked thousands across the globe with his decision not only to cast aside his Spanish Queen, a princess of royal blood, in favor of his lower-born mistress but to behead this woman only three years later, is an understatement.
Yet, it must have confused and frightened many within his court, and even in neighboring kingdoms, when he accused and beheaded Anne Boleyn—the woman he had sacrificed his religion, marriage and even perhaps his sanity for, the woman who supposedly bewitched a King. Through the swift stroke of the sword and the death of a Queen, one thing was clear: Henry VIII could do anything, and he was not about to stop.
Two wives down, another would follow. Who was the (un)lucky wife number three?
Her name—Jane Seymour.
. . .
Records do not present an exact year for her birth however various accounts estimate her birth took place between 1504 and 1508, making her future husband between thirteen and seventeen years her senior. She was the eldest daughter to Sir John Seymour, a trusted soldier to the King, and his wife Margery Wentworth. The couple had six sons born before Jane, however, only four reached adulthood as the eldest son, John, died in 1510 and another son, also John, died when Jane was still a child. Jane, however, would later be joined by three younger sisters; Elizabeth, Margery who sadly passed in 1528 along with her brother Anthony, and finally, Dorothy who was born circa 1520.
It is more than likely Jane was born at Wulfhall in Wiltshire, more commonly known as Wolf Hall through Hilary Mantel’s popular trilogy, although West Bower Manor in Somerset has also been suggested as her birthplace. Did you know that, whilst both the books and the series take place at Wolf Hall, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest Thomas Cromwell ever lived there and that the title refers to the Latin phrase ‘Man is wolf to man,’ suggesting Cromwell was a wolf amongst men.
The Tudor ‘wing’ of the current ‘Wolfhall’ farmhouse © The Tudor Travel Guide
Although Jane was the lowest born of Henry VIII’s six wives, it is her bloodline that possessed the strongest link to royalty amongst any of the fellow wives and even the King himself. This was because, through her maternal grandfather, Jane was a descendant of King Edward III through his third son; Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence. Edward III’s descendants all came from legitimate, or illegitimate in the Tudor’s case, lines of his children, who all fought for the right to the throne, leading to the bloody Wars of the Roses. Almost all the wives and Henry VIII himself are descended from Edward III’s fourth son John of Gaunt whilst Jane’s descendancy from the third son makes her royal descendancy a tad stronger due to Lionel being the heir before John. Almost every family in Tudor England was distantly related to another due to families marrying off their young to one another for political or financial gain. This meant that not only was Jane married to her fifth cousin, the King, but she was actually second cousins with her predecessor (and the woman she replaced) Anne Boleyn as well as Katheryn Howard, the King’s fifth and youngest wife.
Whilst this would not have mattered much to Henry VIII, it is interesting to know that his lowest born wife would later provide him with a son with arguably a stronger claim to the throne through his bloodline than his older two sisters.
Very little is known of Jane’s childhood because of her low status, however, we do know that her education was meek in comparison to her predecessors, Catherine of Aragon, and Anne Boleyn. Despite her family’s wealth from their royal descendants, the family were respected yet were not of high importance alike other wealthy families. This does not mean to say, however, that they were not ambitious like the Boleyns or other noble families, as one had to be ambitious in the Tudor era to survive.
Jane was educated as per the custom of women of her station in which she learned traditional skills for noblewomen; which included household management, music, and needlework. Her needlework was reported as so beautiful, elaborate and elegantly crafted that some of it even survived her to as late as 1652, according to the Seymour family who possessed it. It was noted that, following her passing, the King was an ‘enthusiastic embroiderer’ almost as if he was honoring his late wife’s memory. Whilst Jane could read, write, and possibly learnt French, she only understood the basics as she was not destined to be Queen, like she would later become in 1536, but the wife to a low status nobleman who needed a fertile wife, not an intelligent one.
Perhaps it was Jane’s ‘plainness’ and simpleness that would attract Henry VIII; both his previous wives were intelligent, educated and, in his mind, opinionated whilst Jane must have seemed obedient, quiet, and modest in comparison. Less likely to cause arguments and more likely to obey him and his tyrannical ways.
No details regarding Jane’s passions, hobbies or even her personality can be found also but it is plausible to assume that she was taught from a very early age to be obedient to her father and future husband, to remain seen and not heard, and to keep her opinions to herself for fear of it being used against her in a malicious way, just as we will later see with both Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr.
. . .
All her early years were spent at Wulfhall with her siblings and it is plausible to assume she cared for her younger sisters as her older brothers prepared to enter the King’s court in the hopes of establishing long-lasting careers. She was but a mere child when her now eldest brother, Edward, entered the Henrician court and was bestowed the prestige of a position within the King’s younger sister’s, Princess Mary Tudor, household in 1514—not to be confused with the King’s daughter, Mary Tudor, who was not born until 1516. Edward would accompany Princess Mary to France where she became Queen of France through her marriage with Louis XII and only returned following her widowing the following year. He would later be knighted in 1523 and enter the grand household of the King’s only recognized illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, another prestigious honor.
Her brothers Henry and Thomas would have soon entered court like Edward before them. For Jane, her parents’ focus would have been on finding a husband for their eldest daughter. Her father’s title of Knight of the Body along with her mother’s royal linage and the accomplishments of her elder brothers would have made Jane a good candidate for any young bachelor seeking a wife. Through marriage, she would provide her husband with potential children belonging to a strong royal bloodline as well as power and influence at the Henrician court through her father and brothers. Additionally, her household skills would be an asset to any Tudor nobleman wanting a dependable wife to rely on whilst he is away on political business. It would seem reasonable for Jane’s parents, and even Jane herself, to believe she would marry quite young to a suitable man of similar or higher rank.
Alas, it was not to be as it appears Jane reached adolescence and early womanhood without receiving an offer of marriage. However, contrary to popular belief, Jane indeed did receive an offer of marriage; a betrothal between Jane and William Dormer, the son of the wealthy Sir Robert and Lady Dormer, did exist. Sadly, this betrothal was later broken by Lady Dormer, who felt that Jane’s social status lacked in comparison to her son’s and sought a better match elsewhere. Many have used Jane’s apparent lack of suitors prior to her marriage with Henry VIII to ‘prove’ her ugliness or lack of appeal to the marriage market however, this betrothal does show a small level of interest in Jane, even if it did not work out the way she or her parents ever could have imagined—with her sitting on the throne of England!
Fear not, as the breaking of this betrothal might have worked in Jane’s favor as she would soon make her entrance into the Henrician Court where blessings and curses alike can be found.
To be continued…
Until next time!
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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