On this day in history, 30th May 1536, just eleven days after the execution of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII married for the third time.
In the Queen’s Closet at Whitehall Palace, formerly known as York Place, the king married Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir John Seymour of Wulfhall, Wiltshire, and a woman who had served Queen Anne Boleyn as lady-in-waiting. The couple married in secret, so as not to cause a scandal, but Jane appeared in public at the king’s side, as queen, just two days later and was proclaimed queen on 4th June.
Here’s my latest 60-second history video. It’s on Jane Seymour:
Also on this day in history, three years earlier on 30th May 1533, eighteen Knights of the Bath were created as part of the celebrations for Queen Anne Boleyn’s coronation – click here.
I read on the BBC History website that Henry and Jane had discussed marriage in April 1536. To even consider such a thing must have meant that Henry was certain and knew that Anne Boleyn would have been disposed of given Katherine of Aragon’s death which meant that nobody could say Anne was not a legitimate wife or a bigamous marriage. He must have been confident to even entertain an idea with a legitimate wife still alive and with no plans to consign Anne to a convent as he had hoped to do with Katharine or to banish her to exile. That would still have left the thorny subject of the marriage ceremony he undertook twice with Anne and no legitimate reason for divorce. It makes me think that Anne’s downfall was being plotted and spoken of well before it actually happened and that Henry was complicit all along…
Happy anniversary Henry & Jane!
In my opinion, Jane was a barracuda and Henry? an egotistical, pompous, spoiled, EXTREMELY dangerous King (of course, weren’t most of “Royalty” through the centuries)
Yep that’s what that is…YOUR opinion
In Weir’s book The Lady in the Tower, she quotes Cromwell telling Chapuys that he plotted and dreamed up the affair against Anne Boleyn on April 18th. This meshes well with the BBC documentary. Henry was a murderer .
Happy 481st wedding anniversary Henry & Jane.
Rest in Peace your Majesties, may you sleep peacefully beside each other for all eternity. Such a beautiful but heartbreaking love story! ❤️
Happy anniversary. Long live King Henry and Queen Jane!
May you be reunited in the kingdom of heaven with your beloved son, Edward.
Happy anniversary to Jane and Henry, I hope they have been reunited with each other in the after life and are resting peacefully.
Je ne dirais pas joyeux anniversaire de mariage à ce couple, Jane Seymour du vivant de la Reine Anne Boleyn fit tout pour plaire au Roi, qui en avait assez de sa femme et qui cherchait à la remplacer. De ce fait Jane Seymour se démarqua de la reine qui perdant l’un après l’autre ses enfants ne contrôlait plus ses nerfs et créait avec son époux disputes sur disputes. Jane Seymour veilla à ne pas commettre les mêmes erreurs de comportements, elle se montra douce, effacée, bienveillante, à l’écoute du Roi, elle n’hésita pas à se placer d’une manière supérieure à la Reine, et surtout de la narguer en public, ainsi le message était clair : C’est moi que le Roi préfère et ce sera moi la prochaine Reine d’Angleterre. La suite l’on la connaît par la mort atroce de la Reine. Mais en épousant à son tour Henri 8 un sort atrôce aussi l’attendait, elle meurt à l’acouchement et son fils Edward qui était de santé fragile.et qui sera après la mort de son père, le Roi Edward 6 décèdera à l’âge de quinze ans. Par ces mauvais coups du sort la Reine Anne Boleyn est ainsi vengée et après la mort de sa demi-soeur Marie Tudor, sa fille Elizabeth deviendra le plus grands monarque d’Angleterre La Reine Elizabeth 1.
huh???
Tina please post your comment in English as this is an English site not French, thank you.
This is an international site, I run it from here in Spain, and it receives visits from people all over the world. I post in English, that’s my native language, but I welcome comments in all languages.
C’est un site internet international, je travaille ici en Espagne, et le site Web reçoit des visites de personnes partout dans le monde. J’écris en anglais, c’est ma langue maternelle, mais j’apprécie les commentaires dans toutes les langues.
Este es un sitio web internacional, trabajo aquí en España, y el sitio web recibe visitas de personas de todo el mundo. Escribo en inglés, esa es mi lengua materna, pero acepto comentarios en todos los idiomas.
Bravo I would, however, love a translation of Tina’s comment. My French is not very strong. Also, we should respect that French, English, Spanish and (my) American histories are all intertwined.
Here is a rough translation of Tina’s comment:
“I would not say happy marriage anniversary to this couple, Jane Seymour during the lifetime of Queen Anne Boleyn did everything to please the King, who was tired of his wife and who sought to replace her. Because of this, Jane Seymour stood out from the queen, who lost one child after another, no longer controlling her nerves and creating disputes with her husband. Jane Seymour made sure not to make the same mistakes of behavior, she was soft, effaced, benevolent, listening to the King, she did not hesitate to place herself in a way superior to the Queen, and especially to taunt her in public, so the message was clear: the king prefers me and I will be the next Queen of England.
The rest is known by the atrocious death of the Queen. But by marrying Henry VIII, an atrocious spell also awaited her, she died after childbirth and her son Edward who was of fragile health and who will be after the death of his father, King Edward VI will die at the fifteen years old. By these bad blows, Queen Anne Boleyn is thus avenged, and after the death of her half-sister Marie Tudor, her daughter Elizabeth will become the greatest monarch of England: Queen Elizabeth I.”
Oui, je pense que Jane a appris de Catherine d’Aragon et Anne Boleyn. Je pense qu’elle a fait très attention à son comportement. Il est triste qu’Edward soit mort si jeune mais Elizabeth a grandi pour être une femme forte et une bonne reine.
Merci pour votre commentaire!
Vivat King Henry and Queen Jane, may their reign long continue in the kingdom of heaven.
Happy Wedding Day Jane and Henry and many blessings. Henry liked his private ceremonies. However, a river party and celebrations to come.
I must admit I cannot find it in me to congratulate this third marriage of Henry V111 with the simpering Jane Seymour as it appears it was soaked in blood, the blood of his second wife and five men, who had died to make this marriage possible, I hope when he and Jane were alone together he had nightmares of his murdered wife and so called lovers, and I really hope the virtuous Jane remembered that Anne had once been where she was now, loved by Henry and a woman to whom he had also plighted his troth.