Pt 2. of the Tudor Wives
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Today is part two of my Tudor wives/Tarot series. I will be discussing Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves; their life story, energy and personality by Tarot Cards that I find applicable.
Wife #3: Jane Seymour
Jane was primed by her family from an early age to be a consort. Her reputation at court was pristine. She earned points for being quiet, submissive and a loyal-lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine, supporting her and Mary. During Queen Anne’s reign, Jane was being courted by King Henry just three months before Anne’s death.
Henry found Jane’s calm demeanor and unassuming demeanor a welcome change to Anne’s demands of accountability. Lets not forget he’s a piece of shit.
Janes birth time is a bit of a guessing game but it looks like Gemini Sun and Aqua Moon. I get the sense she did not identify with her peers. Jane preferred staying to herself and focusing on needlepoint. The Hermit card fits her well. She was not as highly educated as the Queens before her. Her supposed Cancer Venus made her an excellent caretaker to both the King and his children. Jane was fondly remembered by Princess Mary for her kindness towards her and assistance bringing Mary back into favor with her father.
While people like to think of Jane as the most simple minded perhaps of Henry’s wives, I think like the Moon card she gave off the illusion there wasn’t much going on because she knew that Henry could be better manipulated with gentleness and perceived submissiveness. Quickly crowned after Anne’s death, Jane used her image of purity to remove all the decadence from court. She quickly became pregnant with her son Edward. Finally, an heir to the throne. She had severe complications from the birth and died two weeks later. Edward survived, but was sickly his entire life.
Some say Jane had the good sense to die before Henry tired of her which is callous, but whos to say what would have happened with his changeable moods?
Wife #4: Anne of Cleves
Anne’s story is one of good fortune compared to most of the Tudor wives! She was from Germany and Henry arranged the marriage for political reasons. Henry never met Anne before the wedding and commissioned his painter to do her betrothal portrait since this was their equivalent to a selfie. When Anne came to England for the marriage, Henry didn’t find her as attractive as her portrait. The marriage was brief and not consummated. Henry greatly enjoyed Anne’s sunny disposition however, so the marriage was quickly annulled and he set her up with her own estate. She became known as The Kings Beloved Sister (EW) and often joined him and his daughters for revelry and cards. She was close to all three of his children and outlived both Henry and the other wives. The Sun card AND the Ace of Pentacles fit Anne well since she was generally well liked and also had the best outcome (in my opinion) of all Henry’s wives. No traumatic birth experiences, infidelity, abuse or schemes. She got money and an estate and didn’t have to put up with the whims of Henry. She had her cake and ate it too and for that, I applaud her. Also tbh, she’s always given queer vibes to me, but who can say?
Next week, I will wrap up with Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
Would love to know what ya’ll wanna hear about next!