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Facts about Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was born to Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth in Battersea, Wiltshire around 1508 and was the eldest daughter of the couple. She was the third wife of King Henry VIII. She bore Henry VIII an heir by giving birth to a son who was named as Edward VI.

Jane Seymour Queen

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It is said that she was the maid-of-honour to the earlier two wives of Henry VIII, namely Queen Catherine and Queen Anne. Jane Seymour and Henry VIII were married at the Palace of Whitehall, London within days of execution of Henry VIII second wife Anne Boleyn.

Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour

Although she was the wife of the King, she was not crowned as Queen as a plague had broken out in Westminster where the coronation ceremony was supposed to take place. By the time the effect the plague receded, Queen was pregnant, thus, delaying the process of crowning her as the Queen.

When was Jane Seymore born?

Jane Seymour was born in 1509 in England. She was the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth. Seymour was the descendant of Edward III. Although not very well educated, Jane was an expert on household works.  She loved gardening and embroidery.

Seymour as a complete opposite of Henry VIII’s previous two wives – Catherine of Aragon and Anne Bolyn. She was quiet and reserved with a timid countenance. It is believed that these traits of Jane Seymour attracted the king to her even further, apart from her beauty.

It is believed that the king wanted to keep her as his mistress but Jane quietly refused to be so. It forced Henry VIII to finally marry her but at the cost of letting Anne Boleyn be beheaded. By the time she was married to Henry VIII, she was already 27 years old.

Her moral code and strength were reflected in her action when she boldly asked for the king’s forgiveness of the prisoners of the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt. However, Henry sharply rejected her advice and she was forced into retrieving into her silent role.

Facts About Jane Seymour

She was also not very educated like the other wives of the King but was skilled in the art of needlework. Jane Seymour was beautiful and was the fairest of the King’s wives. She was known to be a kind-hearted lady. Jane Seymour knew Princess Mary even before she married her father as Jane had served Queen Anne Boleyn.

Even after marriage, she shared warm relations with Princess Mary and even tried to make the heir to the throne. Her attempts to reconcile a daughter with her father bore fruits when the relation between the two started improving. In 1537, Jane became pregnant with her first child. However, her pregnancy was not very easy.

Facts about Jane Seymour

During the last few months of her pregnancy, Jane had distanced herself from the world and lived in isolation. Her labour lasted for around three days. However, overcoming all the complications, she gave birth to a son on 12th October 1537 and he was named as Edward VI. Jane was the only wife of Henry VIII who had given him an heir to the throne. His first and second wife had given birth to daughters.

At the time of Edward’s christening ceremony, Jane was severely ill but the King’s joy of finally having an heir was so powerful that even in the state of sickness he made Jane attend the christening ceremony. Elizabeth and Mary, daughters of Henry VIII from his previous marriages carried their brother’s train during the ceremony.

What happened to Jane Seymour’s son?

Jane Seymour and Henry VIII’s son was Edward VI, who became England’s first monarch to raised as a protestant. But Edward VI became sick at the age of fifteen and could not recover from it.

Edward VI
Jane Seymoure and Henry VIII’s son, Edward VI

Did Jane Seymour have a daughter?

Jane Seymour had no daughter. She gave birth to the only son of Henry VIII and died shortly after the childbirth.

How long was Jane Seymour the queen?

Jane Seymour was the Queen of England just for a year from 1536 to 1537. She dies soon after giving birth to her and Henry VIII’s son Edward VI. She was the third wife of Henry VIII and succeeded Queen Anne Boleyn after she was executed.

Jane Seymour also did not have an official coronation because it had to be postponed repeatedly due to various reasons.

Jane Seymour Death

The stress of the ceremony took a toll on the already fragile condition of Jane. She died soon after childbirth on 24th October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace. She was around 29 years old when she died. There are many speculations as to the exact reason for the death of the Queen.

King Henry VIII
King Henry VIII

Puerperal fever or infection is regarded to be the reasons for her early death. Jane’s death was not easy for Henry VIII to accept and he deeply dejected at the unhappy incident. The king remained in mourning for two years and waited till 1542 to get married again. Unlike his other wives, Jane Seymour was even given a proper funeral.

Jane was buried at Windsor Castle and she was the wife of the King who received a funeral. After his death, King Henry VIII was buried next to Jane at Windsor Castle.

Jane Seymore's death
Jane Seymore’s death

How old was Jane Seymour when she died?

Jane Seymour was only 29 years old when she died having served as the queen for only eighteen months.

How did Jane Seymour die?

It is a matter of speculation and debate as to what caused Queen Jane Seymour’s death but she had fallen ill after giving birth to her son. Hence, postpartum illness is usually considered as the reason for her early death.

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