For a start, she was not a beauty or a great wit. However, she had many qualities that appealed to the ageing King, for she was gentle, sweet-natured and subservient. In addition, Henry was attracted by the fact that her mother had birthed six healthy sons. When Henry offered her a gift of gold coins she refused claiming that it was beneath her — and the King was impressed. Anne was arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges of adultery, incest and even high treason.
She was executed on 19 May , and the way was clear for the unrepentant Henry to formalise his courtship of Jane, who had little choice but to marry the King. As a result, she was never crowned and remained Queen Consort until her death. Attempts to influence the politics of the realm met with more mixed success.
Jane did manage to convince Henry to reconcile with Mary — his daughter from his first marriage — after years of not speaking to her over her religious views, which she shared.
This, and the rebellions breaking out in the north, emboldened Jane to literally go down on her knees and beg her husband to restore the monasteries. Henry roared at Jane to get up and warned her starkly of the fate which awaited Queens who meddled in his affairs.
Jane did not try to get involved in politics again. There were rumors that she would not dine alone with the king, insisting always upon a chaperone, and that she responded to a particularly bold flirtation by reminding the king of his marriage. Henry did not need to be reminded of his second marriage; it had become a bitter disappointment for him. He was determined to rid himself of Anne Boleyn. Another impetus was the death of Katharine of Aragon on 7 January On 29 January, Anne miscarried a son; the king ominously declared that he would have no more children by her.
For Henry, it was suddenly clear that if he could rid himself of Anne and marry Jane, then he would have a legitimate marriage recognized by all and another possibility for a son. The king began to mention publicly that he had been bewitched into marriage with Anne; he knew his words would reach her.
Anne was terrified but could do little. On 2 May, she was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. On 15 May, she was condemned to death; Henry sent a personal message to Jane with the news.
Four days later Anne was executed; the day after, 20 May, the king was formally betrothed to Jane. They married ten days later on 30 May and Jane was publicly declared queen on 4 June. She was never granted the lavish coronation which Anne had enjoyed. It was summertime and the minor plagues were sweeping through London; the king said she must wait until the spring to be crowned.
It is also possible, and was rumored, that Henry had no intention of crowning Jane until she had proved her worth and provided a son. If she proved barren, he could annul their marriage with hopefully little fanfare. And on 20 July , he received the devastating news that his only illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, duke of Richmond, had died at the age of There had always been the possibility that Fitzroy could have succeeded him, but now Henry VIII was left with only two daughters, both declared illegitimate.
It is certain that if Jane had not provided a son, she would have been quickly discarded. Personal affection could not overcome political necessity.
But Jane was able to provide the king with his fondest wish. And indeed the whole country wished for an heir; they had no desire to return to ruinous civil war. Rumors of her pregnancy began almost immediately after her marriage. Bonfires were lit and celebrations held throughout England; prayers were offered for a safe delivery. In early October, Jane went to Hampton Court Palace for her lying-in and on 12 October, after a long and difficult labor, she gave birth to the wished-for son.
His two half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, attended the splendid christening ceremony. Her grandfather, Thomas Boleyn, also attended the ceremony.
Past grievances could be forgotten at this grand moment. Jane did not savor her success for long. She was able to participate but the long ordeal proved too much. She was already weak and exhausted; she needed quiet and rest and received neither. Only a day later, it was reported that the queen was very ill. Her condition quickly worsened. She was delirious and had a high fever; doctors bled her and attendants hastened to fulfill her craving for sweets and wine.
That determination undoubtedly helped bring about Anne Boleyn's downfall and execution May 19, On May 30, , Henry and Jane were married privately. During the remaining 17 months of her life Jane managed to restore Mary, Henry's daughter by Catherine of Aragon, to the King's favour. Mary was a Roman Catholic, and some scholars have interpreted Jane's intercession to mean that she had little sympathy with the English Reformation.
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