Title: Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen
Author: Alison Weir
Published: May 3rd 2018
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 560
ISBN: 1101966564
Synopsis:
Ever since she was a child, Jane has longed for a cloistered life as a nun. But her large noble family has other plans, and, as an adult, Jane is invited to the King’s court to serve as lady-in-waiting for Queen Katherine of Aragon. The devout Katherine shows kindness to all her ladies, almost like a second mother, which makes rumors of Henry’s lustful pursuit of Anne Boleyn—who is also lady-in-waiting to the queen—all the more shocking. For Jane, the betrayal triggers memories of a painful incident that shaped her beliefs about marriage.
But once Henry disavows Katherine and secures his new queen—altering the religious landscape of England—he turns his eye to another: Jane herself. Urged to return the King’s affection and earn favor for her family, Jane is drawn into a dangerous political game that pits her conscience against her desires. Can Jane be the one to give the King his long-sought-after son or will she meet a fate similar to the women who came before her?
Bringing new insight to this compelling story, Weir marries meticulous research with gripping historical fiction to re-create the dramas and intrigues of the most renown court in English history. At its center is a loving and compassionate woman who captures the heart of a king, and whose life will hang in the balance for it.
My Review:
I admire all Henry the Eighth's sixth wives, every single one takes a special place in my heart, they were all brave, intelligent and used by men. But, Jane Seymour was the one I was most looking forward to reading more about. There is so little we know about her, she was Queen for such a short time and I have seen no books devoted to her before this book.
❝Jane was more than four months pregnant when the child first stirred within her, a little fluttering like a butterfly's wings. She was sitting with Henry in the great park, watching her maids playing catch with a ball."Oh!" she exclaimed, as the fluttering came again. "Henry, feel!" She grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly, across which her kirtle was now stretched tight."The child?" he asked, in wonder."Yes, wait! There!""By God, it is! You have quickened!" He was ecstatic.❞
In the Haunted Queen, Alison Weir paints a fascinating story of the overshadowed Queen. The book is a mix of historical fact and fictional story, recounting what might have taken place from the time Jane was about 10 years old until her death. We readers get to see how she grew up, her thoughts and dreams, and how the events of her childhood and young adult life established the foundation for the person she became as she matured, and would drive her to be the third wife of King Henry.
We see Jane happy with her parents and siblings, living in countryside luxury on the Seymour estate, Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Then we follow her at court as one of the ladies' maid to Queen Katherine of Aragon. And this was during the most contentious time in Henry's reign—The King's Great Matter. We learn how Jane felt about on Henry's affair with Anne and his divorce from Katherine. She is disturbed by the treatment of her Queen and disgusted at the behavior of both Henry and Anne, and the destruction of her faith, upset her to the core, yet she becomes Queen Anne's lady-in-waiting, but her sympathy and loyalty remained with Katherine.
One day, she captures the eye of Henry VIII. When Anne's enemies notice Henry paying attention to Jane, they create a political alliance with the Seymour family and conspire to bring Anne down. Jane's ambitious brothers encouraged her, even her mother and father demanded of her to be Henry's mistress, they wanted the rewards that came with being a favored family of the King, what Jane was feeling was not of great importance. After much praying and thought, she concluded she wasn't doing the same as Anne; she saw Katherine as a True Wife of Henry, so Henry wasn't wed to Anne, and Katherine had now died he was free to make advances to her. With Anne accused of treason, Jane was to become Henry's third wife.
Jane Seymour is very loyal, devout, and good. Even if she didn't like Anne, despised her even, she didn't wish her to die. She believes Henry would put Anne in the nunnery, and was much shocked when she learned about Anne's adultery, incest and conspiring to murder the King. We all know Anne wasn't guilty, it was all Thomas Cromwell's and Henry's doing to get rid of her. We will never know how Jane felt. Was she only a pawn in Anne's downfall or she knew exactly what was happening? Reading Weir's point of view on the matter of Anne's treason, regarding Jane, I think she believed Anne was guilty, as many others did, but still felt sympathy and perhaps regret to her involvement in Anne’s death. I don't think she wanted to see her beheaded; it is why she feels haunted by Anne Boleyn’s death in the novel.
What I like about Jane's and Henry's relationship, was that Jane witnessed a humane side to Henry VIII, a very different Henry from the one that Katherine and Anne knew, and as both history and this book tell us, Jane really loved him. I believe Henry genuinely loved her too.
Jane's death was a tragedy for the king, the country, her family and for her child who grew up without his mother. Was Jane's death the beginning of Henry's descent into extreme tyranny, paranoia, and selfishness? And this is simply my opinion from what I had read in this book, that his humanity died with her, that Jane was the only one that could bring the best in Henry, a light in his dark soul. It's well known Henry always told Jane was his only true wife, which could be because she's the only one who gave him a son, but I also think it's because he sincerely loved her.
Summary:
The real Jane Seymour left behind no letters, so little is known about her opinions on events that took place during her time at Court and, later, as Queen. Despite that, Weir has written an outstanding novel that makes an excellent tribute to one of Henry VIII’s most elusive queens.
Jane Seymour may not have been as bold as Anne Boleyn, but her story still fascinates. Weir shows Jane Seymour as a woman who had a mind of her own and yet was aware of when to be quiet and how to adapt to survive the court of Henry VIII. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in historical novels and those interested in the lives of Henry VIII and his court.
