Jane Boleyn and the death of Queen Jane Seymour

On the 24th October 1537, Jane Seymour, the third Queen that Jane Boleyn served, died after only just giving birth to Henry VIII’s longed-for heir on the 12th October. The cause of death may have been due to puerperal fever.

Jane Seymour had become ill eight days after Edward’s christening. Thomas Cromwell later blamed her ladies-in-waiting – including Jane Boleyn – for neglecting her. He said that they had “suffered her to take cold, and eat such things as her fantasy in sickness called for”. However, this was unfair as Jane Boleyn and the rest of the ladies-in-waiting were very experienced in dealing with the care needed before, during and after childbirth.

Jane Seymour’s death had an impact on Jane Boleyn. Only just over a year before, she had just survived the fall of the Boleyn family and had been restored to a position in Jane Seymour’s privy chamber. However, if there was no Queen, there would be no need for ladies in the privy chamber. Therefore, once again, Jane’s future was in doubt.

Source – Julia Fox, 2007.

Image – Jane Boleyn (in background) and Jane Seymour (in front), as portrayed in “The Tudors” (Joanne King and Annabelle Wallis).