Jane Seymour: Third Wife of Henry VIII Quiz

Answer: Wiltshire

Historians agree that Jane Seymour was likely born in the manor house, Wolfhall, in what is now the village of Burbage, Wiltshire. Her birth date is not recorded but historians estimate she was born around 1508. Some historians argue that she could have been born in West Bower Manor in Somerset, which later came into possession of Jane's brother Edward, who acquired the title of the 1st Duke of Somerset.

Answer: Elizabeth Cheney

Elizabeth Cheney was an upper class English woman. Her first husband was Sir Frederick Tilney, who was great-grandfather of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.

Her second husband was Sir John Say, who was speaker of the House of Commons and great-grandfather of of Jane Seymour. While in her 50s, Elizabeth Cheney died in 1473 and was buried in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England.

Answer: Palace of Whitehall

The Palace of Whitehall once stood at Westminster, Middlesex. From 1530 it was one of the main residences of English royality, but between 1691-98 most of the palace was destroyed by fires.

There is one sole surviving piece of the Palace of Whitehall: The Banqueting House. Designed by one of the first prominent architects of England, Inigo Jones, the Banqueting House is one of the first English buildings to use the style of Palladianism, that is, English buildings designed and inspired by the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio's (1508-1580) work. Just outside the Banqueting House would later become the scene of King Charles I's execution in 1649.

Answer: Margery Wentworth

Margery Wentworth married John Seymour in Wolf Hall, Wiltshire, in 1494. The same place Jane Seymour is said to have likely been born. The couple had ten children, including Jane, but not all of them survived into adulthood.

Margery Wentworth could have been at the royal court when Catherine of Aragon was Queen, but she was not there when Jane Seymour nor her son, Edward VI, was king. She made her life and home Wolfhall. Margery Wentworth died in 1550.

Answer: The plague had hit London

The coronation was due to take place in London. However, the Plague announced itself in the city. It has also been theorized that Henry did not want to risk his new bride getting sick, at least not before she provided him with the male heir he desired. Around the same time, uprisings were taking place in the north of England. To pacify the rebels, Henry agreed to have Jane crowned in the north, in York.

This promise was never made a reality.

Answer: Elizabeth

Thomas Cromwell's son marrying Elizabeth Seymour, meant that Cromwell very much wanted Jane Seymour and Henry to marry. When they did, it further solidified his power and of course pleased Henry when Jane gave him a male heir. The death of Jane Seymour would prove disastrous for Thomas Cromwell. He arranged the next marriage of Henry's to Anne of Cleves - Henry was not pleased with the match, his marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled and Henry had Thomas Cromwell beheaded for daring to set him up with Anne.

Jane Seymour's brother, Thomas Seymour, would later marry Catherine Parr - the last wife of Henry VIII, after both Henry and Jane had died. Catherine Parr was not impressed with how close he was to a teenaged Elizabeth I, Henry's daughter, and had her sent away due to Thomas Seymour's inappropriate behaviour with her.

Answer: Edward

Edward Seymour was 1st Duke of Somerset, and also acquired the titles of 1st Earl of Hertford, and 1st Viscount Beauchamp in his lifetime. He was Lord Protector (head of state) of England from 1547-1549 when Jane Seymour's child, his nephew Edward VI, was too young to reign England. He was executed in 1552 for interfering with government affairs.

Answer: If you cannot save both, at least let the child live, for other wives are easily found.

In 1537, Jane both gave birth and died. During the labor doctors warned Henry VIII that it may come down to a terrible choice: save the child, or save the Queen. Henry's response was characteristically blunt. What Jane died of exactly is a matter of debate among historians, but it was clearly related to the birth, which was recorded as a difficult one.

She died less than 2 weeks after giving birth to Edward VI, the male heir Henry had wanted so badly.

Answer: Pilgrimage of Grace revolts

The Pilgrimage of Grace revolts were a series of revolts that started in Yorkshire in 1536, before gaining popularity and spreading throughout the North of England. Jane was a staunch Catholic and begged Henry to restore the abbeys to stop the rioting, but Henry VIII was not impressed.

He publicly reminded her of the fate of Anne Boleyn, which was, as Henry coined it: "enough to frighten a woman who is not very secure."

Answer: Mary I

Jane Seymour convinced Henry VIII to reconcile with his daughter, Mary I. They had fallen out over the Catholic religious views Mary had, just like her mother Catherine of Aragon. Jane Seymour shared these views as a Catholic. This made Jane Seymour a popular queen with the commoners of the time.

Henry's orders of the dissolution of the monasteries was very unpopular with them, and they hoped this new Catholic queen could perhaps push Henry more back in the direction of his traditional Catholic roots.

Answer: Windsor Castle

Jane Seymour's funeral took place 1537 at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Her step-daughter Mary I was chief mourner, riding a horse draped in black velvet and having nearly 30 mourners following her during Jane's funeral procession. It wasn't until February 3, 1538 that Henry declared national mourning over.

Answer: The death of Catherine of Aragon

A lot of people saw Catherine of Aragon as Henry VIII's true wife, his first wife whom he should have never divorced. Anne Boleyn was seen more as his concubine, not worthy of the same respect. Now that his perceived true wife was dead, all he had to do was be rid of Anne Boleyn, and he as a widower would be free to marry Jane Seymour.

Answer: Stephen Gardiner

Bishop Gardiner survived the reign of Henry VIII. He became Lord Chancellor during the reign of Henry VIII's daughter, Mary I. He resented anyone who tried to change the Catholic Church, and was an enemy of Anne Boleyn. He no doubt appreciated Jane Seymour's Catholic, traditional faith. He was also an enemy of Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell.

Gardiner would also later clash with Edward Seymour, Jane's brother, when he was Lord Protector of Edward VI after Henry died. Edward had many ideas of radical protestant reforms. This infuriated Gardiner. He wrote 25 angry letters (mostly to Edward Seymour) about how theologically abhorrent and unconstitutional his reforms were.

Answer: True

Jane Seymour was the only wife of Henry VIII to die while she was still queen. Catherine of Aragon was divorced from Henry when she died. Anne Boleyn's status as queen was obviously revoked by the time of her execution. Anne of Cleves was divorced from Henry when she died. Catherine Howard met the same fate as her cousin Anne Boleyn. Catherine Parr outlived Henry VIII while married to him, but the throne had passed to his son, Edward VI, therefore she was no longer queen,but queen dowager.

Answer: True

Thomas Seymour's downfall began when his brother Edward Seymour was away in 1547, invading Scotland. Thomas Seymour began to openly bad-mouth his brother and how he ran his administration. The English nobility around him tried to convince him to just be happy with his position, to no avail. He began to use his control over the navy to plot a rebellion. After the news of his planned treachery spread, Edward at first offered Thomas to appear to him before a court, to explain himself. Not moved by this, Thomas did not show up.

Thomas was later caught attempting to break into one of the King's palaces, Hampton Court Palace. There was a scandal attached where some theorizes that Princess Elizabeth could have been involved, considering he was caught near the King's bedroom, with a weapon. Elizabeth was questioned for this.

Thomas Seymour was executed in 1549. Edward Seymour was executed on orders of Henry VIII's son, when the young King was only 14 years old, in 1552.