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Two main ballad traditions survive relating to the death of Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII. One comprises formally composed verse, while the second consists of vernacular ballads that developed through oral tradition. One of the most common themes within these ballads is the suggestion that a caesarean section was employed after a difficult labour, and that this contributed to Jane's death. There has been a great deal of historiographical debate surrounding this topic, which has long been infused with political bias, and the ballads were also influenced by contemporary opinion and ideology. An examination of the historical context reveals that until the early eighteenth century it was commonly accepted that a caesarean section was carried out. However, from the eighteenth century onwards, the prevailing historical view was that the birth had been a natural one and that the rumours of a caesarean section resulted from Catholic propaganda. The surviving historical evidence does not allow us to ascertain with confidence the conditions surrounding Jane's death, but an examination of the ballads in their historical context does provide insights into past understandings of the events and the role of the songs in communicating such ideas.
Alastair Vannan
Numerous ballads relate the story of the death of Queen Jane, with most deriving from two key narrative strands. The Queen Jane in question is Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England between May 1536 and October 1537 (Figure 1). She died in 1537 as a result of giving birth to the future Edward VI, and subsequent rumours suggested that a caesarean section employed to aid in the delivery of the child had caused her death. Numerous contradictory accounts of the circumstances of Jane Seymour's death have been recorded since the sixteenth century, including ballads composed and published as poetical works, and ballads that circulated in oral tradition before being transcribed. The question of the caesarean section has become a particularly contentious, and politically loaded, point of discussion. Examination of the ballads within their historical contexts allows us to gain insights into the origins and credibility of the differing accounts of Jane Seymour's death and, accordingly, a better understanding of the role that the ballad might have played in communicating ideas to...