Jane Seymour, by Hans Holbein, Kunsthistorisches Museum. Note the pendant Jane is wearing, ‘JHS’ (or IHS) is the Latin acronym for ‘Jesus Hominum Salvator’, which translates as ‘Jesus Saviour of Mankind’, and is also known as a Christogram.
Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII and the mother of his only male heir, Edward VI, is often remembered for her relatively quiet and dutiful nature compared to her more politically active predecessors, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.
Her religious beliefs, while not as documented as those of some other figures from the Tudor court, can be deduced from her actions and the religious climate of her time. As a Catholic, Jane’s personal religious beliefs aligned with the traditional Roman Catholic Church, but she also found herself living in a time of intense religious upheaval that would see the rise of Protestantism in England.
Jane was born into a family with strong Catholic ties. Her father, Sir John Seymour, was a devoted Catholic, and Jane’s upbringing likely mirrored these values. During the reign of Henry VIII, the English Church was officially still Catholic, though the king’s break from Rome and the establishment of the Church of England in the 1530s created a confusing and shifting religious landscape. Henry VIII’s motivations for this break were not doctrinal but personal, primarily driven by his desire for a male heir, which led to his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Nonetheless, the split from Rome marked the beginning of religious tension in England, with some adhering to Catholic traditions and others moving toward Protestant reforms.
Jane religious beliefs appear to have been staunchly Catholic, though she was not as outspoken or politically engaged in religious debates as Anne Boleyn had been. Anne had a strong influence on the king’s eventual break from the Roman Catholic Church and had a reputation for being more Protestant in her religious leanings.
Jane, by contrast, seems to have been more conservative and less interested in challenging religious norms. She did not play a role in the theological debates of her time but seemed content to align herself with the established religious practices, attending mass regularly and upholding Catholic customs.
It appears during Jane and Henry’s courtship, she was advised by Sir Nicholas Carew, who was notably a leader of the conservative Catholic faction at court, possibly at the suggestion of her family. Jane’s family had themselves supported Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary during Catherine and Henry’s marital strife, and Jane would later support Mary, attempting to end the rift between father and daughter and reinstate Mary as heir to the throne.
It has been reported that Jane was sympathetic to the rebels during the Pilgrimage of Grace, and had brought up the possibility of restoring the decimated monasteries throughout England. The Pilgrimage of Grace was a revolt which begun in Yorkshire in October 1536 and spread across the north of England, sparked by anger at the dissolution of the monasteries. Henry is alleged to have reminded her of the fate of his two previous wives and queens who had ‘meddled in his affairs’. Warning taken; Jane never questioned Henry’s religious reforms again.
Turning to the Holbein portrait of Jane, it is striking that she chose to be painted wearing a Christogram. In wearing a pendant which visually emphasises her Catholic beliefs rooted in tradition, wearing an English hood, she is presenting herself as the very opposite to Anne Boleyn’s vivacious, reformist and international persona (Anne herself often wore the French round hood). Jane is presenting herself as loyal to the traditions of the church, although not publicly or politically commenting on such, through the use of jewllery and image she is able to assert her beliefs.
Whilst Jane’s personal faith was rooted in Catholicism, her son, Edward VI, would eventually lead England in a very different religious direction. Edward ascended to the throne in 1547 at the tender age of nine. Under the regency of Protestant reformers like Edward’s uncle, the Duke of Somerset, England moved firmly toward Protestantism. Edward was a devout Protestant and, during his reign, significant reforms took place, including the establishment of the Book of Common Prayer and the passing of laws that further distanced England from Catholic traditions.
Edward’s religious policies were very much in contrast to the Catholic practices his mother had likely followed, illustrating the sharp divide between the earlier Catholic monarchy and the new Protestant regime. His reign would see the official consolidation of the Protestant faith in England, marking a clear departure from the religious beliefs that had dominated during his mother’s lifetime.
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