Jane Seymour Gives Birth Dying to Live
Jane was most likely born in
Wulfhall, Wiltshire, the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth.
She lacked the education that Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn,
Henry's first and second wives, possessed.
And she had a limited ability to read and write
but excelled at needlework and household management,
which were deemed more appropriate for women.
Jane was Queen Catherine's maid-of-honor in 1532,
but she may have served the monarch as early as 1527,
and continued to serve with her sister Elizabeth during Queen Anne's reign.
But, Henry became besotted, he'd caught a glimpse of Jane,
and it was one that
he had overlooked in previous encounters.
Henry demonstrated an inability to draw on prior experiences.
Nevertheless, Henry took a shine to this lady
on this occasion.
Jane was modest, compassionate, and caring,
all of which Henry couldn't figure out
as to why she was so different to others from his past.
But she was also blessed with beauty, not that his previous wives lacked it,
but there was something special about Jane that Henry couldn't quite pin down.
Although, Jane was not openly defended by everyone in court!
Chapuys described her as being of average stature
and extremely pale; he also described her as being unattractive.
However, Henry was undeterred, and his interest in Jane was first
reported in February 1536,
approximately three months before Anne Boleyn was executed.
If there was anything negative to say about Jane,
it was her timing in accepting Henry into her life and marrying
the man whose wife he had murdered only 24 hours earlier.
Perhaps Henry, well-known as a royal tyrant, used his affinity
for erasing history and convincing Jane it was time to move on!
Despite Anne Boleyn's death, Jane would be found at Wolf
Hall getting ready for her wedding to the king.
Henry reportedly told Jane that his ex-wife was worthless
and that there was no time to waste in forming this new union.
It may sound bizarre, but Jane may have simply gone
along for the ride and believed everything she was now being told.
While the entire saga is tragic, it was no more so than telling the story
of every other woman who become involved with this man in some way.
Jane appears to have felt little remorse for Henry's previous wife Anne;
she was the one who mattered now, and Anne was merely water under the bridge.
This lady, who had previously been described as meek and mild, suddenly
revealed a new exterior, one of resolve to achieve heights
her previous adversaries could only dream of.
In reality, Jane was a passive character who would never follow
Anne Boleyn's example, and her role was determined by the king's whims.
Interestingly, the mottos of Henry's wives tell their own story;
Janes was "bound to obey and serve", whereas Annes was "me and mine."
On 30 May 1536, Bishop Gardiner
married Henry and Jane at the Palace of Whitehall in London.
As a wedding gift, he bestowed upon her 104 manors in four counties,
as well as several forests and hunting chases in exchange for her jointure,
which provided her with the necessary income during their marriage.
On 4 June 1536, she was formally installed as Queen.
Jane conceived in January 1537.
She developed a craving for quail during her pregnancy,
which Henry obtained from Calais and Flanders.
Throughout the summer, she avoided public appearances and lived a relatively sedate
existence, aided by the royal physicians and the best midwives in the kingdom.
Jane was then relocated to Hampton Court Palace, her doctors and astrologers
predicted a boy, but the birth was still a long way
off, with numerous dangers ahead.
However, she went into labour on October 9th, but
after two days of trying, Henry became concerned for her well-being..
He feared history would repeat itself and the child would perish once more.
However, good news arrived on 12 October 1537,
when Jane gave birth to the coveted male heir, the future King Edward VI.
Edward was christened without his mother present
on 15 October 1537, as was customary.
He was Henry VIII's sole legitimate son who survived childhood.
Mary and Elizabeth, Henry's daughters, were present
and carried Edward's train during the ceremony.
However, they do say that sorrow follows joy
in the same way that night follows day.
The Queen had developed a chill on this occasion; reports indicated that
she had consumed some unsuitable food, which could have resulted in poisoning.
and her diet at the time was probably not helping; following
Edward's birth, she continued to eat her favourite quail eggs and drink wine.
Jane's continuing difficulties
are almost certainly the result of a number of factors.
One is anaemia, which may occur after delivery due to a lengthy labour,
dehydration from diarrhoea, and prolonged bed rest, which resulted in an embolism.
Probably more than just one of those symptoms.
As one was not enough to instantly kill Jane, but enough to gradually put her
into cardio-respiratory failure, shock, and eventually without treatment, death.
It's possible she was entering a stage of her limbs turning blue,
this is based on her symptoms at the end, particularly the coldness she felt.
At last there was reason for optimism when Jane began to feel better; even now
proper hydration was critical, and it appeared as though
she would pull through for the time being.
However, following this brief respite, she began to relapse into pain.
She began to feel short of breath, restless, and anxious.
Her temperature had increased,
and swelling could have occurred as a result of an oxygen deficiency.
Jane was now in a delirious state as a result of kidney failure,
she was confused and disoriented.
Gasping for air and slipping in and out of consciousness as the end drew near.
Documents surrounding the birth are both sketchy
and lack credance, in the final diagnosis of Jane
we can presume that she suffered with food poisoning,
this would not have helped her overall recovery.
However, it has been widely reported that she suffered with Puerperal fever.
but again there is no evidence of this or Puerperal Sepsis
in which both have similar symptoms.
A common cause of death for many women within the Tudor period.
With that outcome not being mentioned in the final report,
it should also be regarded with a sceptical view.
Doctors in the 16th century new very little medically, but they did
recognise the same symptoms in others which they would then report on.
One further point worth noting is Jane could have been suffering
with endometritis after giving birth, this would certainly have brought upon
a swift deterioration, making it extremely doubtful
she would have been strong enough to attend Edward's Christening.
There is no way of knowing or fully evaluating exactly what did cause
her death, most of the reports are very limited with information.
All we can do now, is at best make an educated guess.
We can only imagine how Henry, the doctors,
and others present felt as they watched Jane's agony,
helpless in the face of an illness they did not understand.
The king held Jane's hand as she lay in bed
and told her, "You must live, Jane, you must.
But it wouldn't happen; the sights and sounds now started to wane.
Jane's senses were gradually fading, becoming weaker with each
breath; her dreams and aspirations had come to an end,
and with one last thought of happiness, her eyes closed
for the final time.