Jane Seymour: The Queen Who Gave Henry VIII a Son, But Paid the Price
Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s third wife, gave him the one thing he wanted most—a male heir—but lost her life soon after childbirth. She was the only one of Henry’s wives to receive a queen’s funeral and to be buried beside him.
Jane first entered Henry’s life as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne Boleyn. After catching the king’s eye, she quickly became the reason Anne fell from favor. Henry had Anne arrested on trumped-up charges of adultery, incest, and conspiracy. Though she insisted she was innocent, the charges held, and Anne was executed.
Jane died in 1537, less than two weeks after giving birth to Prince Edward, the long-awaited male heir. Henry mourned her deeply, calling her his “true” wife, though he soon resumed his search for another queen.
How did Jane Seymour die?
The cause of her death was likely complications from childbirth, such as infection, which was an all-too-common risk for women at the time.
She was the only one of Henry’s six wives to receive a full queen’s funeral and the only one buried beside him in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where their shared tomb remains today.
Aftermath
Henry wore black in mourning for three months, but marriage negotiations soon followed, and he married Anne of Cleves two years later.
Ten years after Jane’s death, Henry died and was buried beside her. Historians have long speculated that she was his favorite, likely because she gave him the son he had sought for so long.
Ironically, Edward’s early death at just 15 left the Tudor dynasty on uncertain ground. It was Henry’s daughters—Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, and Elizabeth, the daughter of Anne Boleyn—who ultimately carried the Tudor legacy far longer than Edward ever could. Elizabeth’s reign, in particular, became the dynasty’s greatest era.
But the Tudor line ended with Elizabeth, who left no heir. With her death, the crown passed to the Stuart dynasty, bringing the Tudor chapter to a close.