Jane Seymour An Illustrated Life by Carol-Ann Johnston

 

Jane is the wife of Henry VIII who is often forgotten about. This is surprising, considering that she was the only wife who managed to give Henry the longed-for son who actually survived! She is not regarded as being as interesting as the other wives, so she has been rather neglected, although she was portrayed as saintly and beautiful in "The Tudors".

Pale and generally regarded as plain, she may even have been the original 'plain Jane'. People were surprised when she caught the King's eye, but she was the opposite of Anne Boleyn, being docile and demure. The King probably regarded her as not likely to argue, and she was the perfect girlfriend for him. Anne -supporters often think that she seems pretty sly, deliberately playing her cards perfectly to marry Henry when she was one of Anne's ladies, but as the author points out, she only did what Anne did herself. She would not have played any part in Anne's death, and, as a devout Catholic, she was probably convinced that Anne was guilty.

This is a good defence of Jane, who was well-loved, generous and amiable. Apparently, she did show some spirit, pleading on behalf of some of those who took part in the Pilgrimage of Grace. However, she soon gave it up - as you would, if you were likely to get your head chopped off! She was also influential in reconciling Henry with his daughter Mary, and she was quite kind to Elizabeth, as well. It's sad that she died so tragically, and young, because she would have been a good Queen.

I enjoyed this book, especially the author's own story of her search for Jane, and the trivia about Jane. I recommend this for history-lovers.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.