Jane Seymour’s marriage to Henry VIII explained

The long-awaited second season of the historical drama Wolf Hall is set to explore the marriage of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. Adapted from the book series by Hillary Mantel, Wolf Hall is set in the 16th century, during the infamous reign of Henry VIII of England. This chronicles the life of its chief minister, Thomas Cromwellfrom his time as a humble lawyer to becoming the king’s chief minister. The first season of Wolf Hall was released to critical acclaim, achieving a high score of 96% on Rotten tomatoesand winning two BAFTA TV Awards in 2016, including for Best Drama Series. It has since been considered one of the best period dramas ever created.

2nd season of Wolf Hall is adapted from Mantel’s latest novel, The mirror and the light and is set to focus on the height of Cromwell’s power as court minister until his final fall from royal favor. An important aspect that impacted Cromwell’s time at court was King Henry VIII’s marriage to Jane Seymour, who expelled his “illegitimate” daughter, Mary Tudor. Henry VIII’s third marriage proved to be important both for Cromwell’s power at court and for the Tudor reign.

Henry VIII courted Jane Seymour while married to Anne Boleyn

His courtship with Jane Seymour began in 1536

Throughout the 1st season of Wolf Hall, Thomas Cromwell works closely with Henry VIII on matters that concern the kingdom of England. He is heavily involved in arranging the king’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and works to gain public acceptance in terms of his new queen. In Season 1, Episode 5, Henry becomes interested in Jane Seymour, who serves as Anne Boleyn’s lady-in-waiting. After Anne’s pregnancy ends in miscarriage, Henry turns to Cromwell and orders him to find a way to end his marriage to Anne so he can marry Jane, similar to how his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was dissolved in episode 3. .

According to Hampton Court PalaceJane Seymour first arrived at court in 1529 as a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon, but there is no evidence that Henry VIII became aware of her until around early 1536. In 1536, Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was falling. separated because, despite their hopes for a son, they only had one daughter, Elizabeth. After Anne suffered a miscarriage in 1536, Henry began looking elsewhere for someone who could provide him with a legitimate heir.

Rumor has it Henry became interested in Jane Seymour because she presented herself as modest, meek and obedient, the opposite of the stubborn and obstinate Anne Boleyn. Jane Seymour also came from a large family, being the sixth of 10 children, which indicated that a Seymour was more likely to give birth to a child than a Boleyn (via Tudor dynasty). In March 1536, Henry had his eyes fixed on Jane and, as depicted in Wolf Hallcounts on Cromwell to find a way to end his marriage to Anne.

Henry VIII and Jane Seymour married 11 days after Anne Boleyn’s execution

Anne Boleyn was executed on May 19, 1536

Season 2, Episode 1 of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light begins with Anne Boleyn being executed in the Tower of London after being accused of adultery, incest and treason. The episode offered a harrowing and historically accurate depiction of Anne Boleyn’s execution and viewers described it as a shocking start to the second season. Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour in a lavish ceremony organized by Cromwellwith the wedding taking place less than 2 weeks after Anne Boleyn’s death.

Cromwell is said to have played a major role in Anne’s death, orchestrating the accusations against her. On May 2, 1536, Anne was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. A trial found her guilty of all charges and she was sentenced to death by decapitation. As shown in Wolf HallAnne was executed on May 19, 1536; Instead of an axe, she was given the mercy of being decapitated with a sword (via Historic Royal Palaces). Henry VIII quickly became engaged to Jane Seymour on May 20, just one day after his execution. The wedding preparations were quickly finalized and The wedding of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour took place on May 30, 153611 days after Anne Boleyn’s execution.

Jane Seymour died after giving birth to a Tudor heir

She gave birth to the future Edward VI of England

Throughout the 2nd season of Wolf HallJane Seymour serves as Queen of England and works hard to reconcile the King with his estranged daughter, Mary, and return her to the court. According to Story extraJane had strong religious beliefs, as in October 1536, she tried to negotiate with the King to find a way to end the Pilgrimage of Grace; however, she was warned not to interfere and remembered Anne Boleyn’s death”enough to scare a woman who isn’t very sure“. As Season 2 continues, Jane becomes pregnant and, on 12 October 1537 she gave birth to a son who became Edward VI.

After Edward’s birth, there was much celebration as Henry finally had his long-awaited heir to the throne. However, the celebration quickly turned into devastation. Jane became seriously ill and died due to childbirth complications on October 24, 1537.. She was the only wife of Henry VIII to receive a queen’s funeral and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle (via History Skills). Jane Seymour’s pregnancy and eventual death further impacted Henry VIII’s reign and, as the second season of Wolf Hall continues, will play a significant role in Thomas Cromwell’s power and position at the Tudor court.

Sources: Hampton Court Palace, Tudor dynasty, Historic Royal Palaces, Story extra, historic United Kingdom, History Skills