Welcome to my online directory, this area is great for SEO descriptions!

Queen Jane Seymour | The Favourite Wife Of Henry VIII

Queen Jane Seymour was the third consort of Henry VIII. She was also his favourite wife though it remains a mystery why. She had nothing of the sophistication of Queen Anne Boleyn nor was she as educated as Queen Catherine but it is to be remembered that she is the only queen to have given Henry VIII a male heir. October 1537, Queen Jane Seymour died of postnatal complications, a little less than 2 weeks after giving birth to Prince Edward VI.

Queen Jane Seymour was the daughter of Sir John Seymour. It is believed that she was a distant descendant of Edward III through her maternal grandmother. As such, if you are familiar with the royal way things work, Queen Jane Seymour and King Henry VIII were fifth cousins. Queen Jane Seymour was also a second cousin to Henry VIII’s second consort, Anne Boleyn because they had a great-grandmother in common. Queen Jane Seymour was nothing like the two previous consorts of the king of England. In fact, historians report that she could not even write her own name. During her teenage years, she was taught needlework and elaborate household management. In 1532, she became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. After the king annulled his marriage, she was assigned the duty of tending to Queen Anne Boleyn and as such, she was very much familiar with the sort of relationship Henry VIII had with his wife.

February 1536, rumors about Henry VIII’s interest in Queen Jane Seymour started and on May 20 1536, the two were betrothed, a day after Queen Anne Boleyn’s execution. Queen Jane Seymour married the king of England 10 days later and she was officially proclaimed as the Queen of England on June 4 though she never got crowned. Many report that it was due to a plague that hit London but historians speculate that Henry VIII wanted to keep things simple. He was still unsure about whether or not Queen Jane Seymour will be able to provide him with a heir.

For as long as she was queen, Jane Seymour was known to be strict and formal. She was only known to keep close to her female relations. The glittering atmosphere of the royal household, which peaked when Anne Boleyn was Queen Consort, was gone to be irreversibly replaced by a strict maintenance of decorum. It is reported that even the dress requirements for her ladies-in-waiting were minutely detailed down to the number of pearls that were to be sewn onto their gowns. French fashions were banned and everything related to Queen Anne Boleyn was put out of sight.

Queen Jane Seymour was of Catholic faith and she was known to be very loyal to her former mistress, Catherine of Aragon. As long as she was alive, she particularly took care of Henry’s first child, Mary Tudor. She is even reported to have attempted to reconcile Mary with Henry. Before her death, Queen Jane Seymour tried to Elizabeth to court, a fact made blatant when the princess was invited to attend Edward’s christening.

Early 1537, Queen Jane Seymour became pregnant. She is known to have had a particular difficult pregnancy, craving for quail. September 1537, she went into confinement and October saw the arrival of the heir to the throne of England, Prince Edward VI.

After the birth of her son and the only male heir to the throne of England, Queen Jane Seymour saw her health deteriorating day-by-day. She managed to attend the prince’s christening on October 15 1537 and it is reported that she was clearly seriously ill. From unreliable sources, it is speculated that Queen Jane Seymour died because Henry VIII ordered the baby to be cut from her to prevent more stillbirths.

After the death of Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII wore black for several months and he only married again after three years. When the king died in 1547, he was buried right beside her, his favourite wife, Queen Jane Seymour.