I'm confused about my feelings about Jane. Most of the times i can't really stand her but sometimes i really honestly try to understand her.

Okay, people on this site say Jane planned the downfall of Anne and all that, but people say Anne did that to Katherine too. People made up horrible rumors about Anne because of what happend to Katherine, the beloved Queen, and because of the rumors of that came up during her downfall. People may have made up stuff about Jane too because they were Anne supporters, and we dislike Jane because of what happen to Anne just like people dislike Anne because of what happend to Katherine. It's a never ending thing.

My conclusion is we didn't live back then so we do not know everything that happend 500 years ago and we never really will. I don't think it's right to hate on Jane but me, personally, i'm not a fan of hers. I'm an Anne Boleyn fan, i'm interested in Anne's story, Anne is the reason i'm on this site.

Anyanka said:

 I'm sure Jane never thought Henry/Cromwell would put Anne to death. Jane was part of KoA's household at the time of the annulment and would have been aware that the honourable escape of a convent was offered.

I believe Jane was lead to imagine this was the way Anne was going to be nullified. I imagine that once Jane realised Anne would feel the full force of Tudor Law, she was intelligent to realise that Anne's fate could be her's too.

Jane must have spent the second half of 1536 in fear until she finally concieved Edward and then she had to wait to see IF she could do what the ladies she displaced failed to do and hope against hope that she would not suffer the same result for her failure.

 

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I agree.  I can only imagine what was going through her head as the birth of her child drew near.  There was of course, that chance that she'd have a daughter.  She must have been in constant fear.

One thing I always wonder is if she'd lived, what would she have have thought of the way Edward grew up?  Would she have been disappointed in his religious choices?  I wonder what she would have thought about his treatment of Mary after she made an effort to befriend her….

I personally dislike Jane. From the evidence, I come to the conclusion that she was not an innocent party in Anne's downfall, nor was she this angelic woman who saved Henry from his spiteful wife.

Chapys shows that Jane was an active member of the Roman Catholic faction at court, not some poor woman being used by them, she was part of them. She knew exactly what she was doing, and was completely focused on being Queen. The whole act of refusing Henry's gift of money and letter, yet accepting his portrait in a locket, sent mixed signals, no doubt to entice Henry. Chapys and Cromwell were in contact, and Jane in contact with them too, she would of known exactly what they were hoping to do. Jane was told to poison Henry's mind against Anne, which no doubt she did. 

Jane showed support for Catherine, yet began courting Henry while she was still alive, and there was a chance of reconciliation.

Chapys also said there were plenty of witnesses to state Jane was no virgin, so another lie there.

Jane was one of Anne's ladies, she would of known about the investigations going on. She would of also known of Anne's innocence, since Anne was ALWAYS with her ladies apart from when she was with the King. Jane did nothing to help Anne. I doubt Jane was in love with Henry, as by 1536 Henry was already obese, smelly and having violent mood swings, the reason she did it was politics and religion.

Jane is described as being submissive and demure, yet also haughty – so snobby basically… These traits don't really match up.

I personally don't find being submissive and a door mat a positive trait in anyone, especially when it's a dishonest representation of the real person. Jane had no conscience, and no scruples. She happily flaunted her mistress status in front of the pregnant Queen, and had absolutely no concern for Anne. As for being afraid, she knew what she was doing, she knew the risks. I have no sympathy for her whatsoever.

I see Jane as a spiteful, two faced woman, who pretended to be something she was not to attract the King and support. She wanted Mary back in the succession so of course she supported her, as for Elizabeth, no doubt it was guilt for being partly responsible for killing her mother.

Well said Neil and Mya. And if you look at it, you can view all of Henry's wives in a bad light.

KoA – Should have just concented to a divorce straight away and not drag things out. Wasn't the virgin she claimed to be, cared more about Spain than England

Anne B- Was a home wrecker and a manipulative bitch

Jane – A home wrecker and a manipulative cow

AoC – Was godddamn ugly and a waste of Henry's time

Katherine H – Tore apart a marriage and then cheated on the king cause she was a dumb wh*re

Catherine P – Just a gold digger and glorified nurse who just passed the time for the King to die so she could marry her true love.

Or you can look for the good in all the wives and realise that each one contributed something poisitive to the annals of history. I find this one less stressful and more enjoyable.

As it is often said history is in the eye of the beholder.

I think before people go bashing Jane to the hilt, we need to stop and think about the emails that Claire gets involving pure hate for Anne. Cause really saying nasty things about Jane cause she 'dethroned' Anne is no better than people who say natsy things about Anne cause she 'dethroned' Katherine. There's sharing views and then there is just hate that is hypocritical.

 Each of Henry’s wives have qualities to be admired; and each one of them were remarkable in their own right. I have grown to have a healthy respect for every one of these women.  I seem to have a mental block only when it comes to Henry himself.  I cannot seem to get past his selfish, spoiled, child-like behaviour.

Karlee,   

Jane was caught in the whirlwind that was Henry.  She was not perfect, but she certainly wasn’t a bad person.  She was a product of her time.  I think she wanted to be married and to have children.  Henry gave her that.  She must have been so scared of what Henry would do every month that she did not get pregnant.  When she did get pregnant, she must have had a genuine fear of having a daughter. It could not have been easy living with that kind of fear.  Henry wasn’t a very loving husband while Jane was alive.  Within days of the marriage he was crying the blues because he had seen a couple of pretty women at court and he made remarks that he should have waited before marrying Jane.  He was always asking her when she was going to get pregnant.  When she tried to voice an opinion, he told her to keep quiet.  Through the entire marriage, her happiest time must have been when she was pregnant.  After she died, and only then, did Henry decide to show her any respect.

We don’t know what these women thought.  We can only try to understand.  They lived in a time when men ruled everything.  Including them.  I try to put myself in their shoes, and I don’t like the fit.  I can’t for one minute understand what Katherine’s pain must have been like when the man she loved with her whole heart for 24 years decides he doesn’t want her anymore because she is too old.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to face the sword as Anne did.  I can’t picture myself being afraid that if I produced a girl my husband could decide to be rid of me in a manner of his choosing. (as Jane, Anne and Katherine feared.)  I can’t see myself being brought before a king to be married as Anne of Cleves was and have him make fun of me.  Even in my wildest imagination I cannot picture making love to a fat, smelly man who is old enough to be my grandfather as Katherine Howard did.  Nor can I picture my husband making me think I will be arrested for my religious beliefs as Katherine Parr did.  I admire all of Henry’s wives; and I blame him for what these women had to endure because of him.

I don't dislike Jane at all, she's not my favourite but I honestly don't see why people can hate her so much as NONE of us know 100% what took place over 500 years or so ago. We only know as much as in written in transcripts and books nobody knows the ins and outs of all the circumstances that took place so long ago.

I respect her as one of Henry's queens as I respect all of Henry's queens and to me hating someone that died so long ago is pretty futile, Jane for good or bad didn't have much life as she died in giving Henry a son so personally I think that's sad anyway……. 

I look at it this way: I believe Anne firmly believed Henry’s marriage to Katharine had never been valid, and that therefore she was perfectly within her rights to contract to and marry a man she believed to be single.

I believe Jane also firmly believed that Henry’s marriage to Anne had never been valid. BUT – her belief of that was based on believing Henry’s marriage to Katharine had always been valid. And Katharine was still alive, so she had no business taking up with a married man. Persuading him to dump a woman she considered to be his mistress was one thing, but throwing herself at a man she considered to be lawfully married – and to a woman she had served and claimed to admire is something else entirely. I dislike her for that. I guess she was lucky that Katharine died before Anne. What would she have done if Katharine were still alive when Anne died? Would she have gone ahead and married him anyway?

Claire posted this on the main board

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Anne, Sadly, I'm old enough to have seen the series when it first aired and I thought Dorothy Tutin (sadly, now no longer with us) played Anne very well (it was however very much a performance befitting BBC drama of that time – somewhat stagy). Anne Stallybrass was also a fine actress of her era and is probably best remembered for playing James Onedin's wife in the BBC series “The Onedin Line”, which I also remember first hand!