Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley
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- "Thomas Seymour" redirects here. For the composer, see Thomas Edward Seymour.
Thomas Seymour, Baron Seymour of Sudeley (c. 1508 – March 20, 1549), was a son of Sir John Seymour and Margaret Wentworth. Sir John and Margaret had eight surviving children; the eldest was Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, the second, Thomas. He was a younger brother of Jane Seymour, the third Queen consort of King Henry VIII of England.
Thomas spent his childhood in Wulfhall, outside Savernake Forest, in Wiltshire. Historian David Starkey said that Thomas was 'tall, well-built and with a dashing beard and auburn hair, he was irresistible to women'. A prominent Tudor courtier, Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, described Thomas Seymour as 'hardy, wise and liberal...fierce in courage, courtly in fashion, in personage stately, in voice magnificent, but somewhat empty of matter'.
The Seymour family's power grew during Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn. Sir John had succeeded in gaining a position for his daughter Jane, as a Lady in waiting. Anne Boleyn failed to have a son which gave the Seymour brothers an opportunity to push Jane in the King's way. Henry married Jane eleven days after Anne's execution in May 1536. However it was Edward who received the most benefits from his sister's marriage to the king. Historians have speculated whether a division between Edward and Thomas began then as unsurprisingly Thomas began to resent his brother and the good relationship between them began to dissolve. Thomas was however made Lord High Admiral. Thomas's jealousy of his brother consumed him more than any other emotion.
In 1543 Lord Latimer died leaving a wealthy widow, Lady Latimer, formally Catherine Parr. An attachment grew between Catherine and Thomas. Unfortunately for Thomas, Henry VIII also became interested in Catherine, and later married her, having been impressed with her dignity and intelligence. Envious of Seymour's attentions to Catherine, the king subsequently sent Thomas away on a diplomatic mission to the Netherlands.
Henry VIII died in January 1547, leaving Catherine as one of the wealthiest women in England. Thomas had been made Master-General of the Ordnance in 1544 and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1545. He returned to court a few months before Henry's death and saw his brother Edward become Lord Protector of England, and in effect, ruler of the realm. After all, the Seymour brothers were uncles to Henry VIII's young son and successor, the future (short-lived) Edward VI of England. As part of a 'unfulfilled gifts clause' left unmentioned in Henry's will, Thomas was granted the title Baron Seymour of Sudeley. Thomas' fervent desire was to unseat and replace his brother as Lord Protector.
Though Thomas Seymour's name had been linked to Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond, he was still unmarried at the time of the king's death. Possibly Thomas schemed to marry the princesses Mary or Elizabeth, but whatever the truth, neither panned out. However he did marry Catherine in secret in late April of 1547. Many viewed the marriage as occurring too quickly after the King's death. Anne Stanhope, Somerset's proud wife, disliked Catherine and Thomas and began to turn many people in court against them. To further show her hatred, Anne kept the Queen's jewels, which by right were Catherine's. Many viewed Thomas' marriage to Catherine as an example of his ambition.
Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I of England, was Catherine's ward and immediately after her father's death she began to live with her stepmother in Chelsea. Therefore Thomas had the guardianship of Elizabeth and also Lady Jane Grey. Thomas, who was overly ambitious, started to make advances towards Elizabeth. The loud and boisterous Seymour began to sneak into 'the Lady Elizabeth's chamber before she was ready, and sometimes before she did rise; and if she were up he would bid her good morrow and ask how she did, and strike her upon the back or on the buttocks familiarly....' As gossip began to spread, Kat Ashley, Elizabeth's governess, implored Seymour to quit his bedroom antics with the princess. Indignant, Thomas retorted, 'By God's precious soul, I mean no evil, and I will not leave it!' Strange episodes followed as Catherine began to join her husband in his bizarre escapades with Elizabeth, once joining her husband in tickling the princess in bed and on another occasion holding Elizabeth still as her black dress was cut by Thomas into 'a hundred pieces'. Matters came to a head when Catherine discovered her stepdaughter, Elizabeth, in her husband's arms. The betrayed former queen nevertheless tried to save Elizabeth's reputation by sending her away to the house of Anthony Denny in Hertfordshire. However when Catherine died in childbirth in September 1548, Thomas renewed his attentions towards the princess.
Thomas started to bribe a man called John Fowler, one of King Edward VI's closest servants. Fowler told Thomas that the King frequently complained about the lack of pocket money he received. So Thomas smuggled money to the King. Thomas also began to voice open disapproval of his brother's administration skills. As Lord High Admiral, he was able to control the English navy and he openly asked people for support in case of a coup. As admiral he encouraged piracy, allowing pirates safe passage in exchange for shares of their booty. He was completely indiscreet.
Thomas also planned to finance the coup by bribing the vice-treasurer of the Bristol Mint, Sir William Sharington. Sharington was responsible for debasing the coinage in Bristol and he had been fiddling the account books and keeping the majority of the profit. Thomas found out and blackmailed him.
[edit] Thomas' downfall
Someone informed the council of Thomas' activities and by the end of 1548 everyone knew of his plans. The Bristol Mint was investigated and Sharington revealed all. Somerset attempted to have his brother pardoned and summoned a meeting with the council that Thomas could attend and explain his actions. However Thomas did not attend and developed a plan to kidnap the King.
On the night of 16th January, Thomas broke into the King's apartments at Hampton Court Palace. He entered the privy garden and awoke one of the King's pet spaniels. The guards arrested Thomas and he was sent to the Tower of London. On 18th January, the council sent agents to question everyone around Thomas, including Princess Elizabeth.
On 22nd February, the council officially accused him of thirty-three charges of treason. Somerset delayed signing the death warrant so the council, led by Dudley, went to Edward VI for his signature. On 20th March, Seymour was executed at the Tower, dying 'dangerously, irksomely and horribly'. Thomas' daughter by Catherine, Mary Seymour, was placed in the care of the Duchess of Suffolk, Frances Brandon. Catherine's daughter Mary should have been a wealthy woman, but her mother had left her fortune to her husband. When Thomas was executed, the crown confiscated everything he had, including Catherine's bequest. The child appears to have died around the age of two, when she disappears from historical record. The title 'Baron of Sudeley' passed to Catherine's brother, William Parr.
It is falsely alleged that upon hearing of his death Princess Elizabeth said, 'Today died a man with much wit and not much judgment'. After almost being seduced by Thomas Seymour, Elizabeth learned to be much more careful in her interactions with men.
[edit] Bibliography
- The life of Sir Thomas Seymour, knight, baron Seymour of Sudeley, Lord High Admiral of England and Master of the Ordnance: J.C. Hotten, 1869 (Unknown Binding) by John MacLean
- Fraser, Antonia. The Wives of Henry VIII. New York: Knopf, 1992.
- Starkey, David. Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
- Weir, Alison. The Children of Henry VIII. New York: Ballantine, 1996.
| Military Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Unknown |
Master-General of the Ordnance 1544–1547 |
Succeeded by: Sir Philip Hoby |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by: The Viscount Lisle |
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1545 (jointly with Sir Thomas Cheney) |
Succeeded by: The Lord Cobham |
| Preceded by: The Earl of Warwick |
Lord High Admiral 1547–1549 |
Succeeded by: The Earl of Warwick |
