If you read my post a few days ago, “30 May 1536 The Wedding of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour”, you will know that on this day in history, 4th June 1536, Jane Seymour was proclaimed Queen:-
“Also the 4th daie of June, being Whitsoundaie, the said Jane Seymor was proclaymed Queene at Greenewych, and went in procession, after the King, with a great traine of ladies followinge after her, and also ofred at masse as Queen, and began her howsehold that daie, dyning in her chamber of presence under the cloath of estate.”1
Three days later, on the 7th June, a water pageant was held in the new Queen’s honour on the Thames:-
“The 7th daie of June being Wednesdaie in Whitson weeke, the king and the queene went from Grenewych to Yorke Place at Westminster, by water, his lords going in barges afore him, everie lord in his owne barge, and the kinge and the queene in a barge togeeter, following after the lorde’s barges, with his guard following him in a great barge; and as he passed by the shipps in the Thames everie shippe shott gonns, and at Radcliffe the Emperoures Embassadour stoode in a tente with a banner of the Emeroures armes seett in the top of his tente and divers banners about the same, he himself being in a rych gowne of purple satten, with divers gentlemen standing about him with gownes and cottes of velvett; and when the Beach Kinges barge came by him, he sent tow bottes of his servantes to rowe aboute the Kinges barge, one of them were his trumpetters, and another with shalmes and sagebottes, and so made a great reverence to the Kinge and Queene as they came by him, and then he lett shott a fortie great gonns, and as the King came against the Tower of London their was shott above fower hundred peeces of ordinance, and all the tower walls towardes the water side were sett with great streamers and banners; and so the King passed throwe London Bridge, with his trumpetts blowinge before him, and shalmes, sagbuttes, and dromeslawes [drummers] playing also in barges going before him, which was a goodlie sight to beholde.”2
It was Jane’s moment of triumph! How ironic that Jane was proclaimed Queen on Whit Sunday 1536 when her predecessor, Anne Boleyn, had been triumphantly crowned Queen on Whit Sunday three years earlier. I wonder what Jane was thinking in those early days, did she think back to the celebrations of Summer 1533 and did she fear for her own future?
