Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour was the third wife of Henry VIII.

She and Henry VIII were married shortly after Anne Boleyn's execution.

Like all Henry's English wives, she was a member of the aristocracy and from a powerful family. But Jane was by all accounts a quiet and demure woman. Probably Henry was attracted to her because she was as far from the fiery Anne Boleyn in personality and appearance as it was possible to get. However, she was still capable for appealing for mercy for the rebels involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace, at the risk of her own life. To her credit, she also tried to get the princesses Mary and Elizabeth restored to the king's favour, but she didn't succeed.

Jane became pregnant and gave birth to a son, the future Edward VI. Sadly, she became ill almost immediately after the birth of childbirth complications and died.

Jane was without doubt Henry's favourite wife. He had her image painted into court portraits for years after her death, and he was buried beside her.

Read more about Jane Seymour, or read about the fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.