Queen Jane Seymourc. 1508 - 24th October 1537

     Queen Jane Seymour c. 1508 - 24th October 1537

1545 Agnolo Bronzino - Portrait of a girl with book

(Uffizi Gallery)

The Tudors vs. History:  20/?

William Peto, along with being the confessor of the Princess Mary, was “a friend of Thomas More”; in the future he would become a “one-time member of Reginald Pole’s Italian circle”. More about his sermon, here.

– source for “” quotes: Fires of Faith, Eamon Duffy

Two years after this sermon (which heavily implied Anne deserved the end of ‘Jezebel’, whom, in the parable, was murdered by a mob; by being pushed out of a high-storied window), Henry VIII passed an act that made the slander of his marriage to Anne Boleyn punishable by high treason.  Parliament the same year, also passed a decree that “in the event of the King dying before [Anne Boleyn], the latter is to be regent and absolute governess of her children and kingdom.” By November 1534, the Treasons Act was passed, which made it high treason to “maliciously wish, will or desire by words or writing, or by craft imagine, invent, practise, or attempt any bodily harm to be done or committed to […] the queen’s [person], or to deprive them of any of their dignity, title or name of their royal estates.”

(further requests in this series available upon commission/ ko-fi / tip jar*)  

A particular instance in which Chapuys should not be taken as the most reliable source is in regards to Catherine’s housing in the years she was kept separated from the king and court. Catherine would constantly write and complain about her misery and the terrible conditions she endured, but in reality, she was kept in comfortable residences. When she was first sent away, she was sent to The More, one of Cardinal Wolsey’s former residences. It was showing some signs of neglect, but had been refurbished by the Cardinal and had been considered a magnificent residence just a few years before. Catherine was also allowed to retain a large household, including numerous ladies-in-waiting, and including her old friend, Maria de Salinas. Although she was moved numerous times in the last years of her life, she was always housed in relatively pleasant residences.

Politics and Religion During the Rise and Reign of Anne Boleyn, Megan E. Scherrer

mary tudor + smiling (requested by anonymous)

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by Nicholas Hilliard, the so called “Ermine portrait” 1585