Halfway there! On May 30, 1536, Henry VIII married his third wife, Jane Seymour, a mere 13 days after the execution of Anne Boleyn on trumped-up charges of adultery, treason, and incest. Oh, Henry. You were such an asshole.
Jane was no stranger to the court, having served as a maid-of-honour to both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Henry began paying her attention when she was serving Anne, which brought the volatile queen’s wrath down on the young woman’s head. Probably why Jane didn’t have any problem marrying Anne’s husband so soon after her death
Henry and Jane were married at the Palace of Whitehall and she was proclaimed queen on the 4 June. She was strict, formal, and adhered to the notions of good housewifery of the day, adopting the motto “Bound to obey and serve.” Jane only attempted to meddle in affairs of state once, when she asked Henry to pardon the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Henry refused and, classy guy that he was, reminded her of the fate of her two predecessors. Message received; Jane stayed silent and instead applied herself to bringing Henry’s eldest daughter, Princess Mary, back into favor.
Early in 1537, Jane became pregnant and gave birth to the son Henry wanted so badly on 12 October. Sadly, she died 12 days later of a fever brought on by an infection. She was buried in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, with Mary acting as chief mourner at the funeral. Henry refused to remarry for three years and when he died, he was buried beside her.
