Once upon a time, many years ago, a lady called Jane married one of the richest men in the land and, certainly, the most powerful one: the King.
Her aristocratic parents didn't expect her to marry that well, after all she was in her late 20's and although she could read and write her own name - an achievement in those days - she was not highly educated unlike the previous Queens.
She dressed very plainly and if it wasn't for the amount of pearls she demanded her maids of honour to wear, people would think she wasn't the Queen. She didn't have many friends and the only two people who she confided were her sister-in-law and her sister. Her pale skin, blonde hair and delicate features complemented her shyness.
The King , who was obsessed with having a son, was incredibly pleased when Jane got pregnant. He took her to a beautiful palace to wait for the arrival of the baby. He was so determined that the Queen should have the best that when she craved for quails, he ordered the best, all the way from France.
On the 12th day of October 1537, Jane gave birth to a boy and the King was estatic. He finally had his heir, a male heir, to the throne. The King and the Queen named the baby Edward.
The christening was a big occasion as there had not been a christening of a male heir for over a quarter of a century. Dukes, Earls and all the nobility were invited. After a very long day - the baptism lasted for over 4 hours - Jane Seymour fell ill and twelve days later, on the 24th of October 1537, she died.
Her husband, King Henry VIII griefed for her but soon after he started looking for a new wife. Edward, her son, died before his 18th birthday.
Not a very happy story is it?
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7 comments:
Rose, Thanks for sharing that. I really need to brush up on my English History. I enjoyed that little history lesson!
Rose, I did know a little of this story, and it is indeed a sad one.
Such a tragic story
No it's not a very happy story. You told it so well and it's a beautiful sculpture.
I can't figure how to become one of your Followers - as you don't have the option to 'follow' on your blog. See mine which is different. I'm very much learning this new facility so perhaps have got it wrong.
Alas, what English history would be if the Dauphine had survived....
No it's not a happy story at all. Right now I'm into historical fiction and it all seems to center around Henry VIII. He was evil.
From what i learned of Lady Jane Seymour is that King Henry VIII loved her the most actually. He was so upset after her death, he wore black for three months and didn't remarry for 3 years. Even though marriage negotiations were in place earlier. When Henry died, he wanted to be buried next to her, not his first, or last wife. Its sad, but almost romantically so. It was sad that she died so soon, but many women died in childbirth, or from complications back then, and many children didn't make it to adults.
Thank goodness for modern medicine!
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