Jane Seymour

From the time of her marriage to King Henry VIII of England on May 30, 1536, until her passing the following year, Jane Seymour served as the monarch of England. Following the death of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, she was crowned queen. She was the only wife of Henry to have a queen's burial or to be buried next to him in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. She passed away from postnatal difficulties less than two weeks after giving birth to her sole child, the future King Edward VI. She was a direct descendant of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, who was the son of King Edward III through her maternal grandparents.

She was fifth cousin to King Henry VIII as a result. Additionally, she and his second and fifth wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, had a great-grandmother, Elizabeth Cheney. Compared to Henry's first and second wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Jane did not have as much education. She had some reading and writing skills, but she excelled in housekeeping and needlework, which were seen as far more essential for women. Her needlework is said to have been exquisite and elegant; part of it is known to have been handed to the Seymour family as late as 1652. Henry was described as a "enthusiastic embroiderer" after her passing.