Jane Seymour

by Alison Weir Book 3 in the Six Tudor Queens series.

First published 2018

Amazon

4.3(14,178)

Jane Seymour enters court intending to serve Katherine of Aragon faithfully and hoping for a religious life rather than marriage. Henry VIII’s rejection of Katherine and destruction of Anne Boleyn leave Jane terrified of the king who now seeks her as his third wife. As queen she tries to reconcile Henry with his daughters and secure the succession, knowing that her safety depends on giving him the son he demands.

Jane’s rise is shaped by the Seymours’ ambitions as well as by Henry’s need for a legitimate male heir. Her queenship is brief but politically important: reconciliation with Mary and Elizabeth would help stabilise the dynasty, while the birth of Edward fulfils the demand that destroyed earlier marriages. The novel presents caution and apparent obedience as forms of survival within the Tudor court.

Historical Periods

Henrician Reformation1530–1547 CE

Genres

Biographical Fiction Court & Political Fiction Dynastic & Royal Fiction

Historical people

Henry VIII1491–1547 Catherine of Aragon1485–1536 Anne Boleyn1501–1536 Jane Seymour1508–1537 Mary I1516–1558 Edward VI1537–1553 Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley1508–1549 Elizabeth I1533–1603 Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset1506–1552