Jane Seymour’s Death - A Deep Dive into the causes

When Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry VIII’s long-awaited son, England rejoiced. Bells rang, bonfires blazed, and Henry finally had his male heir.
But just twelve days later, the joy turned to sorrow, Queen Jane Seymour was dead.

For centuries, her death has been shrouded in confusion and myth.
Some say she died after a Caesarean section. Others, childbed fever. Alison Weir believes food poisoning and an embolism were to blame.

In this episode, I take  a closer look at the evidence, exploring eyewitness reports, Tudor medicine, and modern medical insight, to uncover what really killed Henry VIII’s third wife.

Discover:

• Why the “food poisoning” theory doesn’t fit the timeline
• How a thirty-hour labour made infection likely
• Why the phrase “taking cold” may describe septic shock
• And how the choice of a royal physician over a midwife may have cost Jane her life

This is the tragic and very human story behind the death of Henry VIII’s so-called “perfect queen.”

Sources & Further Reading:

https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed
https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/evidence
https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/more-than-one-pregnancy
https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/final-stages
https://elizabethnortonhistorian.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-death-of-queen-jane.html
The Seymour Family, history and romance by Amy Audrey Locke - https://archive.org/details/seymourfamilyhis00lockuoft/page/18/mode/2up?q=cold
'Henry VIII: October 1537, 21-25', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 12 Part 2, June-December 1537, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1891), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol12/no2/pp335-345
Hall’s Chronicle - https://archive.org/details/hallschronicleco00hall/page/824/mode/2up
Wriothesley’s Chronicle - https://archive.org/details/chronicleofengla01wriouoft/page/68/mode/2up
24 October 1537 – The Death of Queen Jane Seymour - https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/24-october-1537-death-queen-jane-seymour/
How to spot maternal sepsis, NCT - https://www.nct.org.uk/information/pregnancy/body-pregnancy/how-spot-maternal-sepsis
Signs of Infection After Birth: Postpartum Infection & Sepsis - https://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/labour/signs-of-infection-after-birth 

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