58-482: Jane Seymour ( / ˈ s iː m ɔːr / ; c. 1508 – 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn , who was accused by Henry of adultery after failing to produce the male heir he so desperately desired. Jane, however, died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after
116-447: A bacterial infection contracted during the birth. Weir has also speculated, after medical consultation, that the cause of her death was a pulmonary embolism . Jane was buried on 12 November 1537 in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle after the funeral in which her stepdaughter Mary acted as chief mourner. A procession of 29 mourners followed Mary, one for every year of Jane's life. She was
174-752: A beautiful. The Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace have historically been seen as failures for the following reasons: Their partial successes are less known: Historians have noted the leaders among the nobility and gentry in the Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace and tend to argue that the Risings gained legitimacy only through the involvement of the northern nobility and gentlemen, such as Lord Darcy , Lord Hussey and Robert Aske. However, historians such as M. E. James, C. S. L. Davies and Andy Wood , among others, believe
232-527: A close relationship with her stepdaughter Mary, making efforts to have Mary restored to court and to the royal succession, behind any children she might have with Henry. She brought up the issue of Mary's restoration both before and after she became queen. While she was unable to restore Mary to the line of succession, she was able to reconcile her with Henry. Chapuys wrote to Emperor Charles V of her compassion and efforts on behalf of Mary's return to favour. A letter from Mary to her shows Mary's gratitude. While it
290-559: A general pardon and a Parliament to be held at York within a year, as well as a reprieve for the abbeys until the Parliament had met. Accepting the promises, Aske dismissed his followers and the pilgrimage disbanded. Jesse Childs (a biographer of the Earl of Surrey, Norfolk's son) specifically notes that Henry VIII did not authorize Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, to grant remedies for the grievances. Norfolk's enemies had whispered into
348-605: A lady as ever I knew" by John Russell and "the Pacific" by the Imperial Ambassador Eustace Chapuys (who referred to her as Jane Semel in his letters), for her peacemaking efforts at court. According to Chapuys, she was of middling stature and very pale; he also said that she was not of much beauty, but Russell said she was "the fairest of all the King's wives". Polydore Vergil commented that she
406-513: A lawyer from Willingham and one of the MPs for Lincoln, was hanged, drawn and quartered for his involvement. The Lincolnshire Rising helped inspire the more widespread Pilgrimage of Grace. "The Pilgrimage of Grace was a massive rebellion against the policies of the Crown and those closely identified with Thomas Cromwell." The movement broke out on 13 October 1536, immediately following the failure of
464-405: A male heir. When he died in 1547, he was buried beside her, on his request, in the grave he had made for her. Jane gave the King the son he so desperately desired, helped to restore Mary to the succession and her father's affections, and used her influence to bring about the advancement of her family . Two of her brothers, Thomas and Edward , used her memory to improve their own fortunes. Thomas
522-599: A perceived blessing or in memory of a family member. There was also resistance to the recently passed Statute of Uses , which sought to recover royal fees based on land tenure. On 30 September 1536, Dr. John Raynes, Chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln, and one of Cromwell's commissioners, was addressing the assembled clergy in Bolingbroke, informing them of the new regulations and taxes affecting them. One of his clerks further inflamed matters regarding new requirements for
580-404: A wedding gift he granted her 104 manors in four counties as well as a number of forests and hunting chases for her jointure, the income to support her during their marriage. She was publicly proclaimed queen on 4 June 1536. Her well-publicised sympathy for the late Queen Catherine and her daughter Mary showed her to be compassionate and made her a popular figure with the common people and most of
638-442: Is not recorded; various accounts use anywhere from 1504 to 1509, but it is generally estimated around 1508. Through her maternal grandfather, she was a descendant of King Edward III 's son Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence . Because of this, she and King Henry VIII were fifth cousins. She also shared a great-grandmother, Elizabeth Cheney, Lady Say , with his second and fifth wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard . Jane
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#1732780022532696-694: The Kingdom of Scotland in 1707, to form the Kingdom of Great Britain . There have thus been no consorts of England since that date. In 1066, the Duke of Normandy, William , killed Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings , and overthrew the English elite, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. He established himself as king, his wife Matilda as queen consort, and beneficed his faithful vassals from
754-681: The North Riding of Yorkshire . Because he knew the promises he made on behalf of the King would not be met, Norfolk reacted quickly to the new uprising after the Pilgrims did not disperse as they had promised. The rebellion failed and King Henry VIII arrested Bigod, Aske, and several other rebels, such as Darcy , John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford , the Chief Butler of England ; Sir Thomas Percy , and Sir Robert Constable. All were convicted of treason and executed. During 1537 Bigod
812-679: The Tower of London to Tyburn , and there hanged, bowelled and quartered, and their heads set on London Bridge and divers gates in London. And the same day Margaret Cheney, 'other wife to Bulmer called', was drawn after them from the Tower of London into Smithfield , and there burned according to her judgment, God pardon her soul, being the Friday in Whitsun week; she was a very fair creature, and
870-531: The French fashions Anne had introduced. Politically, Jane appears to have been conservative. Her only reported involvement in national affairs, in 1536, was when she asked for pardons for participants in the Pilgrimage of Grace . Henry is said to have rejected this, reminding her of the fate her predecessor met with when she "meddled in his affairs". Her motto as a queen was Bound to obey and serve . Jane formed
928-653: The Interregnum between 1649 and 1660 – until 1714. The Kingdom of England, however, was merged with the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707, to form a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Great Britain , after which there ceased to be monarchs and consorts of England. This list continues at List of British royal consorts Pilgrimage of Grace Traditionalists Robert Aske [REDACTED] Thomas Darcy [REDACTED] Sir Robert Constable [REDACTED] Sir Francis Bigod [REDACTED] Duke of Norfolk Henry VIII The Pilgrimage of Grace
986-653: The King's ear that the Howards could put down a rebellion of peasants if they wanted to, suggesting that Norfolk sympathized with the Pilgrimage. Norfolk and the Earl of Shrewsbury were outnumbered: they had 5000 and 7000 respectively but there were 40,000 pilgrims. Upon seeing their vast numbers, Norfolk negotiated and made promises to avoid being massacred. In February 1537 there was a new rising (not authorised by Aske) in Cumberland and Westmorland , called Bigod's Rebellion , under Sir Francis Bigod , of Settrington in
1044-494: The King's newly installed tenants were driven out, and Catholic observances were resumed. When the King learnt that the monks had restored Sawley Abbey , he ordered Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby to "take the said abbot and monks forth with violence and have them hanged without delay in their monks’ apparel". However, the rising was so successful that the royalist leaders, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk , and George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury , opened negotiations with
1102-582: The King’s Commissioners, the Lord Chancellor that day being the chief, these persons following: Sir Robert Constable , knight; Sir Thomas Percy , knight, and brother to the Earl of Northumberland ; Sir John Bulmer, knight, and Ralph Bulmer, his son and heir; Sir Francis Bigod , knight; Margaret Cheney, after Lady Bulmer by untrue matrimony; George Lumley, esquire; Robert Aske , gentleman, that
1160-430: The Lincolnshire Rising. Only then was the term 'Pilgrimage of Grace' used. Historians have identified several key themes of the revolt: The northern gentry had concerns over the new Statute of Uses . The poor harvest of 1535 had also led to high food prices , which likely contributed to discontent. The dissolution of the monasteries also affected the local poor, many of whom relied on them for food and shelter. Henry VIII
1218-610: The Prior of Bridlington), 38 monks, and 16 parish priests. Sir Nicholas Tempest, Bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland, was hanged at Tyburn, Sir John Bulmer hanged, drawn, and quartered and his wife Margaret Stafford burnt at the stake. In late 1538, Sir Edward Neville , Keeper of the Sewer (official overseeing service), was beheaded. The loss of the leaders enabled the Duke of Norfolk to quell
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#17327800225321276-476: The Tudor era there was a general rise in the population across England, concentrated in the areas around Yorkshire. This led to a series of enclosures of once common lands. With this increased competition for resources, lack of access to once common land, and a greater pool of labour available, it led to an increase in the price of goods while also leading to a lack of employment and therefore increased unrest amongst
1334-434: The academic standards of the clergy saying "Look to your books, or there will be consequences", which may have worried some of the less educated attendees. Word of his discourse and rumours of confiscation spread rapidly throughout Lindsey and soon reached Louth and Horncastle . The rising began on 1 October 1536 at St James' Church , Louth, after Vespers, shortly after the closure of Louth Park Abbey . The stated aim of
1392-514: The birth of her only child, the future King Edward VI . She was the only wife of Henry to receive a queen's funeral; and he was later buried alongside her remains in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle . Jane, the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth , was most likely born at Wulfhall , Wiltshire , although West Bower Manor in Somerset has also been suggested. Her birth date
1450-402: The christening, it became clear that she was seriously ill. She died on 24 October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace . Within a few weeks, there were conflicting accounts of the cause of her death. According to King Edward's biographer Jennifer Loach, her death may have been due to an infection from a retained placenta . According to Alison Weir , she may have succumbed to puerperal fever following
1508-462: The cohesion. Historian Andy Wood, representing social historians of the late 20th century who have found more agency among the lower classes, argues that the commons were the effective force behind the Risings. He argues that this force came from a class group largely left out of history: minor gentlemen and well-off farmers. He believes these groups were the leaders of the Risings because they had more political agency and thought. The sub- prior of
1566-537: The continent. His dynasty would not, however, outlive his children, becoming defunct with the death of his youngest son, Henry I , in 1135. In 1135, Stephen of Blois , the son of Henry I's sister Adela , seized the English throne, his cousin Empress Matilda's claims being ignored by the Norman barons. His wife, Matilda of Boulogne , became his Queen consort, but their son Eustace predeceased Stephen, and he
1624-467: The courtiers. She was never crowned because of plague in London, where the coronation was to take place. Henry may have been reluctant to have her crowned before she had fulfilled her duty as a queen consort by bearing him a male heir. As queen, Jane was said to be strict and formal. The lavish entertainments, gaiety, and extravagance of the queen's household, which had reached their peak during Anne Boleyn's time, were replaced by strict decorum. She banned
1682-539: The forces of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk , which had already been mobilised. By 14 October, few remained in Lincoln. Following the rising, the vicar of Louth and Captain Cobbler, two of the main leaders, were captured and hanged at Tyburn. Most of the other local ringleaders were executed during the next 12 days, including William Moreland, or Borrowby, one of the former Louth Park Abbey monks. Thomas Moigne ,
1740-445: The insurgents at Scawsby Leys, near Doncaster , where Aske had assembled between 30,000 and 40,000 people. In early December 1536, the Pilgrimage of Grace gathered at Pontefract Castle to draft a petition to be presented to King Henry VIII with a list of their demands. The 24 Articles to the King, also called "The Commons' Petition", was given to the Duke of Norfolk to present to the king. The Duke promised to do so, and also promised
1798-432: The lower classes and the nobility used each other as a legitimizing force in an extremely ordered society. The nobles hid behind the force of the lower classes with claims of coercion, since they were seen as blameless for their actions because they did not possess political choice. This allowed the nobles an arena to air their grievances while, at the same time, playing the victims of popular violence. The lower classes used
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1856-413: The nation's religious autonomy and the king's supremacy over religious matters. The dissolution of the monasteries resulted in much property being transferred to the Crown. The royal commissioners seized not only land, but the church plate, jewels, gold crosses, and bells. Silver chalices were replaced by ones made of tin. In some instances these items had been donated by local families in thanksgiving for
1914-427: The nobility to give their grievance a sense of obedience since the "leaders" of the rebellion were of a higher social class. Davies considers the leadership of the 1536 Risings as more of a cohesion. Common grievances over evil advisors and religion brought the higher and lower classes together in their fight. Once the nobles had to confront the King's forces and an all-out war, they decided to surrender, thereby ending
1972-488: The north, the centre of community life. Many ordinary peasants were worried that their church plate would be confiscated. There were also popular rumours at the time which hinted that baptisms might be taxed. The recently released Ten Articles and the new order of prayer issued by the government in 1535 had also made official doctrine more Protestant, which went against the Catholic beliefs of most northerners. Robert Aske
2030-432: The only one of Henry's wives to receive a queen's funeral. After her death, Henry wore black for the next three months. He married Anne of Cleves two years later, although marriage negotiations were tentatively begun soon after Jane's death. He put on weight during his widowerhood, becoming obese and swollen and developing diabetes and gout . Historians have speculated she was his favourite wife because she gave birth to
2088-549: The policies of the King's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell , as well as other specific political, social, and economic grievances. Following the suppression of the short-lived Lincolnshire Rising of 1536, the traditional historical view portrays the Pilgrimage as "a spontaneous mass protest of the conservative elements in the North of England angry with the religious upheavals instigated by King Henry VIII". Historians have observed that there were contributing economic factors. During
2146-650: The population. In 1535, the year preceding the revolt, bad harvests led to a series of grain riots in Craven in June 1535 and Somerset in April 1536 where grain prices were 82% higher than those in 1534. The Lincolnshire Rising was a brief rising against the separation of the Church of England from papal authority by Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries set in motion by Thomas Cromwell . Both planned to assert
2204-506: The question of leadership was more complex. James and Davies look at the Risings of 1536 as the product of common grievances. The lower classes were aggrieved because of the closure of local monasteries by the Act of Suppression. The northern nobility felt their rights were being taken away from them in the Acts of 1535–1536, which made them lose confidence in the royal government. James analysed how
2262-538: The repeal of the Statute of Uses . With support from local gentry, a force of demonstrators, estimated at up to 40,000, marched on Lincoln and occupied Lincoln Cathedral . They demanded the freedom to continue worshipping as Roman Catholics and protection for the treasures of the Lincolnshire churches. The protest effectively ended on 4 October 1536, when the King sent word for the occupiers to disperse or face
2320-407: The rising, and martial law was imposed upon the demonstrating regions. Norfolk executed some 216 activists (such as Lord Darcy, who tried to implicate Norfolk as a sympathizer): churchmen, monks, commoners. The details of the trial and execution of major leaders were recorded by the author of Wriothesley's Chronicle : Also the 16-day of May [1537] there were arraigned at Westminster afore
2378-477: The spouses of the reigning monarchs of the Kingdom of England , excluding the joint rulers, Mary I and Philip who reigned together in the 16th century, and William III and Mary II who reigned together in the 17th century. Most of the consorts were women, and enjoyed titles and honours pertaining to a queen consort ; some few were men, whose titles were not consistent, depending upon the circumstances of their spouses' reigns. The Kingdom of England merged with
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2436-472: The summer, she took no public engagements and led a relatively quiet life, attended by the royal physicians and the best midwives in the kingdom. She went into confinement in September 1537 and gave birth to the coveted male heir, the future King Edward VI , at two o'clock in the morning on 12 October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace . Edward was christened on 15 October 1537, without his mother in attendance, as
2494-518: The uprising was to protest against the suppression of the monasteries, and not against the rule of Henry VIII himself. Led by a monk and a shoemaker called Nicholas Melton, some 22,000 people are estimated to have joined the rising. The rising quickly gained support in Horncastle, Market Rasen , Caistor , and other nearby towns. Dr. John Raynes, the chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln , who
2552-446: The way in which Henry VIII had cast off his wife, Catherine of Aragon . Although her successor, Anne Boleyn , had been unpopular as Catherine's replacement as a rumoured Protestant, her execution in 1536 on charges of adultery and treason had done much to undermine the monarchy's prestige and the King's personal reputation. Aristocrats objected to the rise of Thomas Cromwell , who was "base born". The local church was, for many in
2610-535: Was "a woman of the utmost charm in both character and appearance". She was regarded as meek, gentle, simple, and chaste, with her large family making her thought to be suitable to have many children. Henry VIII was betrothed to Jane on 20 May 1536, the day after Anne Boleyn's execution. They were married at the Palace of Whitehall , Whitehall , London , in the Queen's closet by Bishop Stephen Gardiner on 30 May 1536. As
2668-583: Was a popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536, before spreading to other parts of Northern England including Cumberland , Northumberland , Durham and north Lancashire , under the leadership of Robert Aske . The "most serious of all Tudor period rebellions", it was a protest against Henry VIII 's break with the Catholic Church , the dissolution of the lesser monasteries , and
2726-536: Was also in the habit of raising more funds for the crown through taxation, confiscation of lands, and depreciating the value of goods. A great deal of the taxation was levied against property and income, especially in the areas around Cumberland and Westmoreland where accounts of extortionate rents and gressums, a payment made to the crown when taking up a tenancy through inheritance, sale, or entry fines, were becoming more and more common. Many people in England disliked
2784-737: Was captain in the insurrection of the Northern men; and one Hamerton, esquire, all which persons were indicted of high treason against the King, and that day condemned by a jury of knights and esquires for the same, whereupon they had sentence to be drawn, hanged and quartered , but Ralph Bulmer, the son of John Bulmer, was reprieved and had no sentence. And on the 25-day of May, being the Friday in Whitsun week, Sir John Bulmer, Sir Stephen Hamerton, knights, were hanged and headed; Nicholas Tempest, esquire; Doctor Cockerell, priest; Abbot quondam of Fountains ; and Doctor Pickering, friar, were drawn from
2842-679: Was chosen to lead the insurgents; he was a barrister from London , a resident of the Inns of Court , and the youngest son of Sir Robert Aske of Aughton , near Selby . His family was from Aske Hall , Richmondshire , and had long been in Yorkshire. In 1536, Aske led a band of 9,000 followers, each of whom had sworn the Oath of the Honourable Men, who entered and occupied York . He arranged for expelled monks and nuns to return to their houses;
2900-611: Was forced to appoint the Empress's son Henry as his successor. The husband of Queen Mary I was Philip II of Spain , who became king of England in right of his wife. Therefore he is not regarded as a consort. Since Lady Jane Grey was briefly queen de facto , her husband, Guildford Dudley , is included here. They were both executed for treason. With the death of Elizabeth I , the crown of England passed to her cousin and nearest heir, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England as well. His dynasty would rule – interrupted by
2958-613: Was hanged at Tyburn; Lords Darcy and Hussey both beheaded; Thomas Moigne , M.P. for Lincoln was hanged, drawn, and quartered ; Sir Robert Constable hanged in chains at Hull; and Robert Aske hanged in chains at York. In total 216 were executed: several lords and knights (including Sir Thomas Percy , Sir Stephen Hamerton, Sir William Lumley, Sir John Constable, and Sir William Constable), 7 abbots ( Adam Sedbar, Abbot of Jervaulx , William Trafford, Abbot of Sawley, John Paslew, Abbot of Whalley, Matthew Mackarel, Abbot of Barlings and Bishop of Chalcedon, William Thirsk, Abbot of Fountains and
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#17327800225323016-497: Was ill at Bolingbroke, was dragged from his sick-bed in the chantry priests' residence and later beaten to death by the mob, and the commissioners' registers were seized and burned. Angered by the actions of commissioners, the protesters demanded the end of the collection of a subsidy, the end of the Ten Articles , an end to the dissolution of religious houses, an end to taxes in peacetime, a purge of heretics in government, and
3074-482: Was not as highly educated as Henry's first and second wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. She could read and write a little, but was much better at needlework and household management , which were considered much more necessary for women. Her needlework was reportedly beautiful and elaborate; some of it survived as late as 1652, when it is recorded to have been given to the Seymour family . After her death, it
3132-520: Was noted that Henry was an "enthusiastic embroiderer". Jane became a maid-of-honour in 1532 to Queen Catherine, but may have served her as early as 1527, and went on to serve Queen Anne with her sister Elizabeth . The first report of Henry's interest in Jane was in February 1536, about three months before Anne's execution. Jane was highly praised for her gentle, peaceful nature, being called as "gentle
3190-940: Was rumoured to have been pursuing the future Elizabeth I , but married the queen dowager Catherine Parr instead. In the reign of the young King Edward VI , Edward set himself up as Lord Protector and de facto ruler of the kingdom. Both eventually fell from power and were executed. An inventory of Henry VIII includes costume belonging to Jane Seymour, which was stored in 1542 in the Old Jewel House of Whitehall Palace . The list includes: gowns of damask, velvet, and satin; kirtles of velvet, cloth of silver, taffeta, and purple cloth of gold ; cloaks of satin; sleeves of silver and gold tissue embroidered with Venice gold and tied with gold aglets; placards for gowns; stomachers ; frontlets; French hoods and billiments of black velvet and white satin; partlets ; and crimson velvet hats. The same clothes were listed again in 1547. Jane Seymour
3248-601: Was said to have embroidered a bed, later given by Charles I to her relation William Seymour . Included in the inventory are some items of embroidery, possibly her own work such as a cushion featuring an antelope. A piece with a branch of roses and a crowned white falcon seems to be an emblem associated with Anne Boleyn. Jane Seymour owned great and little "babies", dolls dressed in gowns of cloth of silver, satin, and velvet tied with gold "aglettes", like her own sleeves. These may have been fashion dolls . List of English consorts The English royal consorts listed here were
3306-450: Was she who first pushed for the restoration, Mary and Elizabeth were not reinstated to the succession until Henry's sixth wife, Catherine Parr , convinced him to do so. One non-contemporary source conjectures that she may have been pregnant and had a miscarriage by Christmas 1536. In January 1537, Jane conceived again. During her pregnancy, she developed a craving for quail , which Henry ordered for her from Calais and Flanders . During
3364-425: Was the custom. He was the only legitimate son of Henry VIII to survive infancy. Both of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, were present and carried Edward's train during the ceremony. King Henry VIII and all six of his wives were related through a common ancestor, King Edward I of England . Jane's labour had been difficult, lasting two days and three nights, probably because the baby was not well positioned. After
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