Jane Seymour - A biography
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| Jane Seymour is a great subject of interest to me, I plan to further my education by making her the main subject of my History major in my study of 16th century Europe in college. I am continuing my study on Jane Seymour through books and image research. The sources I rely on the most are Pamela M. Gross, Antonia Fraser, David Starkey (we have a love-hate relationship), Elizabeth Norton, William Seymour, and Alison Weir. Let's start with Jane's image, truly her innocent and obedient figure gets most of it's backing from Henry and Edward VI. It was Henry who made Anne Boleyn be remembered as a "harlot", and it would be Henry, who instilled in Edward, the "saintly" image of Jane. As such history has determined a role and image of each figure, i.e. Protestant propagandists and the image of "Bloody" Mary or the Catholic supporters and the image of "the six fingered" Anne Boleyn. Jane started off at the hilt and has now fallen on the blade of this highly judgmental sword. Just as AB has gone from “wh0re” to “martyr”, Jane has gone from “saint” to “villainess”. Bear in mind these images, and notice how often history has failed to realize that while some figures certainly fall under the category of “good” or “bad”, (i.e. Good: Mother Teresa versus Bad: Adolf Hitler) most people in history fall in-between, as a human being with good intentions but flawed just as the other beside them. Jane was the oldest daughter of a family with fairly modest court standing, her father John was well liked by both Henry VII & Henry VIII, and he was known for his military antics. Jane’s mother, Margery Wentworth, was a beauty who was shy and demure, in other words, she did not flaunt or seek attention. Jane, characteristically, was like her brother Edward Seymour (Somerset), whom she reportedly favored. Now, Edward has always been depicted as cruel and ambitious man. Edward was ambitious no doubt, but he was very intelligent and some what distant, hence his coming off as “cold” or “cruel”. And Edward was a popular man among the people, unpopular among those seeking Edward VI’s favor. Somerset’s end would upon trumped charges of treason, which, with persuasion from Northumberland and Cranmer, Edward VI would change the sentencing from imprisonment to execution. Mary Tudor remarked that Somerset’s execution had more to do with court politics than actual crimes against the King. Back to Jane, while it is popularly believed Jane was unintelligent and could do no more than write her name, Jane actually was educated. Granted it was not the education of an Infanta or noblemen’s daughter in Europe’s most illustrious courts, it was an education that consisted of basic reading and writing, which was not entirely uncommon, and perhaps a simple knowledge of Latin (in regards to the Bible). As to Jane’s faith, Jane was most famously called by reformer Martin Luther as “Enemy of the Gospel”. Jane was a traditional Catholic, as raised by her mother and within the family church. When Jane became queen, she would request her family’s priests as opposed to the Henrician priests provided by her husband. Jane’s free thinking brothers went with Henrician to Protestant to keep with the changing tides of court. Jane’s most notable mark as consort was when she pleaded with Henry on behalf to the Pilgrimage of Grace. She was rebuked for her interference and dropped the subject when reminded of her predecessors. This is key in Jane’s character, often thought of as a “doormat”, Jane stepping back and not pushing her luck is a sign of a intelligent woman. This is something Anne never learned, she didn’t drop things, and as such it only soured her relationship with Henry, Jane, by doing the opposite was not only pleasing Henry, but strengthening her own position by remaining favor. Another point to Jane as consort was her concern with the lady Mary. Even before Jane had wed Henry she brought up the importance of Mary and within the regards of securing Henry’s kingdom and also doing service to her faith. Jane was called a “fool” in regards to this by Henry, but she didn’t stop, after becoming queen, Jane again pushed for Mary’s cause, it came to fruition when Mary realized she needed to reconcile with her father and that her father’s new wife supported her. It would be only two months after Jane became queen that Mary would be welcomed back to court. Jane’s personality: I believe some have used the term “milquetoast” (meek, timid, unassertive nature) to describe her, some even mark her off as very unremarkable, Jane wasn’t as “loud” as her predecessor, but she certainly wasn’t a “church mouse”. Jane was described as “haughty” by Ambassador Chapuys and nothing less than demanding within her duties as queen. The French influence that flourished under Anne was to be utterly wiped out; Jane preferred everything to be “English”: fashions, manners, colors, everything. Jane went about creating a small resurgence of the Gable hood, only after her death would the French hood return to English courts, and even at that it would eventually modified into a English-French hybrid: the Flat hood. Jane also preferred the traditional English dress styles, as opposed to the “revealing” French styles. The “Plain” standard does not suite Jane in regards to fashions and accessories, in fact Jane was very fashion forward, however her preference of conservative styles have often left her to be overlooked and thought of as “dowdy”. Jane had a preference toward rich and colorful fabrics, heavy with brocade and jewels, and her favorite item: pearls. As opposed to her predecessor, Anne Boleyn, who favored dark fabrics and subtle colors, Jane enjoyed vibrant and catching colors, red, the English standard, in particular. Her head wear, the gable hood, was always heavily jeweled, either pearls or rubies or in her Hans Holbein painting, both. She had a great affinity for pearls, every depiction, whether sketch or portrait, Jane is wearing a great number of pearls. Records report Jane had about 24 monogram/love-knot rings: I or J for Jane or I entwined with H for Henry. Jane had in her collection a “UTIS” brooch, meaning “HIS” which was Greek for Christ; it may have originally belonged to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Jane also had a jeweled Tau cross which she changed between a brooch and a necklace ornament. The Tau cross would be later worn by Catherine Parr. TBC... |