Joanna Seymour

Joan Seymour (in English: Jane Seymour; c. 1504-24 October 1537) was Queen Consort of England from 1536 to 1537 as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as her consort after the latter's execution in May 1536.

Mother of the future Edward VI, she died of postpartum complications twelve days after the birth of her only child, and was the only one of Henry's wives to receive a funeral befitting her position and rank, as well as the monarch's only consort to be buried next to him in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Early Years

Joan Seymour was probably born in Wulfhall, Wiltshire, though West Bower Manor has also been suggested as her birthplace; fourth of nine children born to John Seymour and Margery Wentworth. Her date of birth is not recorded, but is estimated to have occurred around 1504 and 1508. By her maternal grandfather, she was a descendant of Leonel of Antwerp, son of King Edward III, making her and Henry VIII cousins. in fifth grade. In turn, her great-grandmother Elizabeth Cheney was also the grandmother of Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, Enrique's second and fifth wives respectively.

She entered the royal court as a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon in 1532 (some testimonies believe it was in 1527) and then went on to serve Anne Boleyn, after Henry VIII divorced the former. In February 1536, while Ana was still queen consort, there is the first evidence of the king's interest in Juana.

She was not highly educated, like Henry's previous wives, and unlike the King's brothers and her predecessor, she was not sympathetic to Protestant religious ideas. She was not very good at reading and writing, but she was good at sewing and managing the home, tasks that were considered much more necessary for women at the time. Some of her work as a seamstress survived until 1652, when her works were given away to the Seymour family. After her death, Enrique was nostalgic and enthusiastic about this work.

Juana was highly praised for her gentle and peaceful nature, being referred to as the kindest lady I ever met" by John Russell and named "the Peaceful& #34; by the imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys for her efforts to create a peaceful environment at the English court. According to Chapuys, Joan was of medium height, very pale, and commented that she was not very pretty. However, Russell stated that Joan was "the most beautiful of all the king's wives". Polidoro Virgilio stated that she was "a woman of the utmost charm both in character and in appearance". She was considered a meek, sweet, simple and chaste.

Queen consort of England

Painting that shows Henry and his wife Juana, accompanied by the king's parents, Henry VII and Isabel of York.

Queen Anne's big problem was the apparent impossibility of being able to grant Henry a male heir, the same problem that the former Queen Catherine had already had. On May 19, 1536, accused of an adultery that is currently presumed false, Ana was executed for treason. The next day, Enrique got engaged to Juana.

The wedding took place at Whitehall Palace in London on 30 May 1536, celebrated by the Bishop of Winchester Stephen Gardiner. As a wedding gift, the king granted him the grant of 104 lordships in four counties, as well as a large number of forests and hunting grounds, enough to support her during their marriage. On June 4, she was proclaimed queen consort. Joan's well-publicized sympathy for the late Queen Catherine and her daughter, Mary, demonstrated her compassion and made her a popular figure with the populace and most courtiers. She was never crowned due to the plague that was raging at the time. London, where his coronation was to take place. Henry may have been reluctant to have Joan crowned before she fulfilled her duty as royal consort to give him a son and male heir.

As queen, she was said to be strict and formal and did everything in her power to set herself apart from her predecessor. Her friends were only female. Queen Anne's vibrant court, with its lavish entertainment, gaiety and extravagance, was replaced by a strict, almost oppressive enforcement of decorum. She forbade the French fashion, introduced at court by Anne of hers: she abolished the exaggeratedly long sleeves and the French cap among her ladies, reverting to the traditional Gable headdress. Politically, Joan appears to have been a conservative. Her only reported involvement in national affairs, in 1536, was when she asked pardon of the participants in the Pilgrimage of Grace, which was refused by Henry, who reminded her of the fate of her predecessor when "He meddled in his own business".

Juana would form a close relationship with her stepdaughter María, and tried to do everything possible to request her return to court and to the royal succession, behind any children she might have with Enrique. Juana brought up the issue of Mary's restoration before and after she became queen. Despite this, Joan was unable to restore Mary to the line of succession, but she did manage to reconcile her with Henry.Eustace Chapuys wrote to King Charles I of Spain of Joan's compassion and efforts on behalf of Mary's return. A letter from Maria to Juana shows the gratitude and appreciation that the young woman had with the queen. Although it was Joan who pushed for the restoration, both Mary and Elizabeth (daughter of Anne Boleyn) would not be reinstated to the succession until Henry's sixth wife, Queen Catherine Parr, convinced him to do so.

The young Prince Edward portrayed by Hans Holbein the Young, c.1538. The National Gallery.

In January 1537, Joan became pregnant. During her pregnancy, she developed a craving for partridge eggs, which Henry ordered directly from Calais and Flanders. During the summer, she took no public engagements and led a relatively quiet life, attended by the royal physicians and the best midwives in the realm. She went into confinement in September 1537 and gave birth to the coveted male heir, the future King Edward VI, at two in the morning on October 12, 1537, at Hampton Court. Edward was baptized on October 15, 1537, without his mother present, as was the custom. He was the only legitimate male child of Henry VIII to survive infancy. The king's two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, were present and carried the baby's bassinet during the ceremony.

Death and funeral

Joan's labor was very difficult, lasting two nights and three days, probably because the baby was not positioned correctly. After the christening, it became apparent that the queen was seriously ill. She died on October 24, 1537 at Hampton Court. Within weeks of her death, there was conflicting testimony about her cause of death, including Jennifer Loach, Eduardo's biographer, who justified it as infection from a retained placenta. However, according to Alison Weir, Juana most likely succumbed to severe childbed fever after contracting a bacterial infection during childbirth.

Joan Seymour was entombed on 12 November 1537 in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, following a funeral at which her stepdaughter Mary acted as the chief mourner. A procession of 29 of them followed Mary, one for each year of the queen's life.Joan became the only one of Henry's wives to receive a funeral befitting her position and rank.

Legacy

Joan's two ambitious brothers, Thomas and Edward, abused her memory to increase their own fortunes. After Henry's death, Thomas married his widow, Catherine Parr. During Edward VI's regency, Edward Seymour was his protector and the royal ruler of England. Both brothers were executed.

Cinema

Relationship with the family of Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn

Ancestors

Predecessor: Ana Bolena

Queen Consort of England 1536-1537

Successor: Ana de Cleves