Jane Seymour © Hans Holbein the Younger – The National Portrait Gallery
The name Jane Seymour immediately conjures an image of the notorious Henry VIII’s third wife; Anne Boleyn’s predecessor and usually described as a pious, obedient and meek character, even nicknamed as “Plain Jane”. But Jane Seymour is more than just a “third wife”. Before her time as Queen of England, she had the role of lady-in-waiting, to not just one Tudor queen, but two: Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Today, this post will delve into this period of Jane’s story and explore her fascinating time serving two of the most infamous Tudor women.
Aged either 21 or 22, a shy young woman with a fair and light complexion arrived at the court of Catherine of Aragon. Her name was Jane Seymour, and the year was 1529, where England was in a tumultuous time; Henry VIII was desperate for a male heir, yet Catherine had only been able to provide one child; a young girl named Princess Mary. The king’s eyes had wandered towards one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn, and was impatiently seeking a divorce in order to marry her. When Jane arrived at the queen’s household, she was swept right into the heart of all the drama.
Under Catherine’s service, Jane would have had many tasks to perform. Amongst the other ladies Jane was employed with, her days would have been filled with sewing, playing music, dancing and reading out loud. One of her main duties was to entertain the queen, sometimes through playing games of chess or cards with her. As well as indoors, Jane would have spent much of her time outside with Catherine and her ladies, taking part in hunting and hawking, archery and games of bowls or marbles. It was not just the role of entertainer for Jane though. As lady-in-waiting, her main role was to ensure she was a companion and confidante to the queen; helping her with her intimate needs, lending an ear to listen to her concerns and helping her with her wardrobe and jewels. Jane must have adored her queen, who was also a deeply pious and god-fearing woman, and Catherine would have had much respect and affection for Jane. One can imagine that the kind and intelligent Jane succeeded at her role and enjoyed her time at court; perhaps offering words of advice and comfort for Catherine, who was watching her husband stray away from her, their once mutual love turning sour. Jane has also been recorded of being very fond of Catherine’s daughter Mary.
However, whilst Jane attended to Catherine, drama and turmoil would have been unfolding all around her and soon, her life at court was turned upside down.
By 1531, Henry VIII had broken with the Catholic Church, in order to divorce Catherine and become the head of his own religious body: The Church of England. Catherine was now banished from court. On a sweltering day in July, Henry was seen leaving Windsor Castle alongside his household and new lover, Anne Boleyn. This was the last time Catherine saw her husband. He did not return and wrote to her, demanding that she never write or speak to him again. Jane Seymour must have been alongside the many other members of Catherine’s household, in a state of confusion and heartbreak for their queen. No doubt Jane comforted Catherine and felt immense sorrow for her. Yet, she would have perhaps admired Catherine’s strength and resilience; a woman who stood her ground and refused to accept that Henry had fallen out of love with her and that their marriage was finished.
Sadly, Jane was not to remain in Catherine’s household much longer and this must have devastated her. Catherine was banished to a house named The More, in Hertfordshire. This building was previously under the ownership of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, but after his death, it now lay in the hands of Henry VIII. Catherine remained well-looked after and comfortable here, she still had Jane and her other ladies to attend to her, yet she would have not been happy, and Jane would witness her mistresses’ heart breaking. Katherine still refused to admit that her marriage to Henry was over, and it continued to infuriate the king; Catherine was moved to Ampthill in Bedfordshire, with a reduced household and less appealing conditions; the home was in a state of damp, mildew and bordering on disrepair. This is most likely the period where Jane had to cut short her role as Catherine’s lady in waiting and returned home to her family estate of Wulf Hall in Wiltshire. Jane would not have seen her queen ever again, and one cannot imagine the sadness she would have felt.
Jane was loyal to Catherine.
By 1533, Anne Boleyn was on the throne and had accumulated a household of her own and a circle of ladies-in-waiting. Since Jane’s family were a well-respected, noble name in Tudor England and Jane succeeded her role as a lady-in-waiting to Catherine, she was chosen to be amongst the new queen. Jane would have perhaps had her doubts of this new lady sat on the throne. Anne was not particularly well liked; she was seen as cold-hearted and manipulative, a woman who pushed Catherine of Aragon cruelly off the throne and stole her husband. It’s not possible to know whether Jane agreed with this or not, but as previously mentioned, she was loyal to Catherine and would have had to of kept this quiet amongst Anne’s court. Anne was also a dedicated supporter of the Reformation and was outspoken with her religious views. Jane’s own beliefs would have clashed with this, and again, she would have had to of brushed her own thoughts and opinions aside.
In the autumn of 1533, Anne Boleyn gave birth to a daughter; the future Elizabeth I. It’s most likely that Jane would have been there to witness the birth and attend to Anne during these hours, and her previous lying-in period. Through Jane’s eyes, she would have seen Anne became overwhelmed with joy at the birth of her daughter, yet slight sadness that she had not been able to provide her demanding husband with a male heir. It must have worried her, and it must have consumed her with worry the entire time she was married to Henry. As her job role, and as part of her caring and collected character, Jane must have been there to comfort and consolidate the queen, amongst Anne’s other ladies. The pressure for Anne to satisfy her husband and provide the next male in line to the throne would have been immense.
But satisfy, she did not.
For the third time, Henry’s eyes wandered, and they wandered to a very particular lady in waiting.
Jane Seymour did not remain a lady-in-waiting for her entire life. By 1536, Anne and Henry’s marriage was falling apart. The stress bore on Anne during this time, caused her to sadly miscarry. Again, in the midst of this storm, Jane would have been there to witness this and see Anne’s pain and sorrow unfolding. For Jane though, she had caught the king’s eye, not known for certain when, but by the end of May that year, she was the new queen of England. It’s suggested the Seymour women had a strong knack for producing healthy sons, and this may have attracted Henry to Jane. Or perhaps it was this, combined with her supposed opposite character to Anne Boleyn, who had begun to infuriate Henry.
Nonetheless, Jane was no longer in the background of the Tudor court but had moved to the centre of it.
From serving two Tudor queens, to becoming one herself, Jane was a remarkable woman who experienced some of the most infamous and notorious events of the sixteenth-century as a lady-in-waiting; Henry VIII’s break from Rome, the first ever execution of a queen and the birth of one of the most influential monarchs in British history. Jane has been described as all sorts of names: meek, dull, stupid, ugly, plain, homewrecker, which is unfair and cruel. She was a devoted, intelligent, well spoken and caring woman who lived a remarkable life, and truly worked her way up the Tudor social ladder, perhaps without intending to.
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