Her marriage on 30th May, 1536, to King Henry VIII was the climax of her life. At 27 though she was no young maiden, and was seen by many as having all the qualities of a nun, having spent a brief spell in a convent. Her rise to power, however, was anything but virtuous. Only eleven days before her marriage her predecessor, Queen Anne Boleyn, had been executed on the scaffold on trumped up charges of treason, adultery and incest. A question not previously asked by many historians, is how much of a role the demure Jane Seymour played in the demise of Queen Anne.
Catherine of Aragon's Lady in Waiting
Jane Seymour came to court in 1532, as a lady in waiting to King Henry VIII's first wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon. However, the King and Queen were in the middle of a lengthy divorce, and the King's intended new wife, Anne Boleyn, was called 'the great whore' throughout the kingdom. It was Jane's father, Sir John Seymour, long time friend of the King, who had secured her position at court. However, only a year later, Jane was to leave court, following the finalization of the divorce. Jane entered a convent for a brief time, only to return home months later.
Anne Boleyn's Lady in Waiting
In the autumn of 1535 though, Jane caught the eye of the King, and a sequence of events occurred which would have a profound effect on the lives of many. The King desired a son, but his second wife, like his first, had failed. The King's eye had begun to wonder and was now firmly fixed on Jane. Consequently, Jane was again found a position at court, as lady in waiting to the King's second wife. We can only speculate on Jane's feelings towards the woman who had supplanted her former mistress.
Jane Seymour Rejects Henry's Gifts:
Jane had made it evident in her reluctance on swearing to the new Oath of Succession, that her loyalties lay with the old Queen. The country too, despised the new Queen, and believed she was a witch who had put a spell on their illustrious King. However, the Queen was pregnant, and while the prospect of a son loomed, nothing could touch her.
However, all was soon to change when the Queen miscarried on January 29th, 1536, coincidentally the same day as the Old Queen's funeral. Jane's moment had come. Jane purposefully played the innocent maiden, who rejected the King's love tokens and offers of money. Her rejection of such gifts was a refusal to become the King's mistress. Jane had learnt from Anne Boleyn, how being seen as the King's 'whore' could ruin her reputation in the eyes of the people.
The Death of Jane Seymour and Birth of Edward VI
The King, however, was enraptured with Jane even more because of her demureness. Three months later, Queen Anne Boleyn was arrested and tried for treason, adultery and incest. All of course were fabricated, due to her inability in providing the King with a son. Anne's death, along with the four men she was accused of conspiring with, took place on 19th May. The cool manner in which Jane stepped into her predecessor's shoes does her no credit and indicates a cold and calculating persona. Seventeen months later on October 24th 1537, Jane herself was to die, following the birth of the longed for son, Edward.
Sources:
Hilliam, David., Kings, Queens, Bones and Bastards, Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud: Sutton, 1998.
Williamson, David., Kings and Queens of Great Britain, Salem House Publishing, 1991.
