Episode 19: Jane Seymour - Entirely Beloved

Gallus Girls and Wayward Women

Jane has always been portrayed as a meek and watery woman, the exact opposite of her predecessor Anne Boleyn, and whose only effect on the turbulent world in which she lived was to provide Henry VIII with the son he desired, then quietly fade away into the shadows. Saying that, we'll never know for sure whether Jane sought the king’s favour or was a pawn of her family and the king’s desire, and although she is given little credit for anything other than her provision of England’s heir, Jane Seymour was said to be intelligent and came from a noble and ambitious family. Being the daughter of a courtier, just like Anne Boleyn, she was as aspirational as the rest of them and the power and influence which could be had as the wife of King Henry would have been highly attractive to her. Not much evidence survives which describes her true personality though - was she an innocent pawn, or a secret schemer?

?Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strings, and it's from dig.ccMixter. All other music used in the show is from copyright free music sites.