Source A Portrait of Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein the Younger
© Topfoto
Jane Seymour was born in Wiltshire in around 1508, the daughter of Sir John Seymour, a wealthy and well-connected member of the gentry. Little is known of her life before she arrived at the court of Henry VIII to be a maid-of-honour to the queen, Catherine of Aragon, in 1532 or possibly earlier.
The king’s court was a breeding ground for factions — rival groups which aimed to secure power for themselves, while undermining the position and influence of others. It was the support of a faction which enabled Anne Boleyn to replace Catherine of Aragon as queen in 1533, but faction-fighting did not end there. After this, two groups emerged:
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
