On 12th October 1537, when Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry VIII’s long-awaited son, England rejoiced. Bells rang and bonfires blazed.
Sadly, just twelve days later, that joy turned to sorrow when the queen died.
But what did Jane Seymour died of?
For centuries, her death has been shrouded in confusion and myth, with some claiming that she’d even been given a c-section, others that it was childbed fever that finished her off. More recently, Alison Weir has put forward the idea that her death could have been down to food poisoning and an embolism.
In my latest video, I take a closer look at the evidence, exploring contemporary accounts, Tudor medicine, and modern medical insight, to uncover what really killed Henry VIII’s third wife.
Sources and Further Reading
- Guest articles written by Alison Weir on the Tudor Times website – https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed,
https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/evidence,
https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/more-than-one-pregnancy, and
https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/final-stages - The death of Queen Jane, article by Elizabeth Norton – https://elizabethnortonhistorian.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-death-of-queen-jane.html
- The Seymour Family, history and romance by Amy Audrey Locke – https://archive.org/details/seymourfamilyhis00lockuoft/page/18/mode/2up?
- ‘Henry VIII: October 1537, 21-25’, in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 12 Part 2, June-December 1537, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1891), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol12/no2/pp335-345
- Hall’s Chronicle – https://archive.org/details/hallschronicleco00hall/page/824/mode/2up
- Wriothesley’s Chronicle – https://archive.org/details/chronicleofengla01wriouoft/page/68/mode/2up
- 24 October 1537 – The Death of Queen Jane Seymour – https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/24-october-1537-death-queen-jane-seymour/
- How to spot maternal sepsis, NCT – https://www.nct.org.uk/information/pregnancy/body-pregnancy/how-spot-maternal-sepsis
- Signs of Infection After Birth: Postpartum Infection & Sepsis – https://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/labour/signs-of-infection-after-birth
Yes I agree with you Claire, it must have been sepsis caused by a part of the placenta lying dormant in her very weary body, it was incredibly dangerous giving birth in Tudor times and it’s a wonder little Edward was born perfectly healthy, I think this is where the myth of him being sickly arose from, due to his very difficult birth, I like Weir but I think she’s over analysed Janes tragic death somewhat, after watching your video Janes decline does fit your take perfectly, she lived long enough to enjoy her triumph which was wonderful but fell victim to the very poor unsanitary standards of the day, Henry in his agitation wanted his physician to treat her but as we know, that was a grave mistake, he possibly was afraid to examine her intimately because of her status, and a midwife would have known what to do, these women were delivering babies a lot as you mention and would have known the signs of sickness, poor Jane but she was just a victim of the age she lived in, the sheer exhaustion she must have felt due to her long labour and the damage to her womb (for she must have been ripped to shreds), made her vulnerable to infection and sepsis, sepsis does travel amazingly fast, the skin does go clammy and Jane would have had a chill which was reported, her dying suddenly made her a saint in the kings memory and he revered her till the end of his days, Iv always felt sorry for Jane for her early death in this case I have none for Henry V111, he killed his second wife to get a son on his third, and Jane was just used as a breeding machine for that selfish and paranoid king.
I absolutely agree with you, Claire! Sepsis definitely seems to have caused Queen Jane’s death. I have long told my students that you would be better off in Medieval and Tudor times with a midwife and/or barber/surgeon or wise woman than a university trained physician.
Great video! Very informative!