Foolish Dreams Of Glory
Thomas Seymour consistently found himself in the shadow of greatness, spending much of his life in royal circles and close to the King of England himself. However, he was no stranger to intrigue and scandal—his undying bid for power eventually leading him straight to his gruesome end.
1. He Had A Good Family
Thomas Seymour’s birth in 1508 ushered him into a world of high stakes and power play. His father, Sir John Seymour, served both Henry VII and Henry VIII, giving all of his children intimate access to the monarchy. But though Thomas was the fourth-born son, this didn't mean that he wasn't destined for greatness.
2. He Was Tied To The House Of Tudor
Thomas's fate was strongly entwined with the House of Tudor. Henry VIII came to the throne in 1509, only a year after Thomas entered the world. By the time Thomas entered his 20s, Henry’s reputation preceded him. He’d already completely overhauled England’s religion to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and now his second wife, Anne Boleyn, began to displease him.
Henry’s infamous wandering eye had drifted in a convenient direction for Thomas.
3. His Sister Had Connections
The monarchy honored Thomas’s sister, Jane, with the position of maid-of-honor to Henry’s first wife, Catherine, in 1532. When Henry traded Catherine for Anne, Jane continued to belong to the court, serving Anne instead. This left her in the perfect position to catch Henry’s eye when Anne Boleyn proved incapable of giving him what he wanted: a son.
This straying eye proved extremely favorable for Thomas.
4. His Sister Married Well
Reports claim that Henry began expressing interest in Jane approximately three months before his second wife famously lost her head. Henry announced his engagement to Jane the day after Anne’s execution. And 11 days after that, Jane forever united the Tudor and Seymour families with her marriage to the King.
But being close to Henry VIII was never without its risks—and there was already tragedy on the horizon.
5. He Rose In Status
Thomas and his brothers immediately benefited from their sister’s marriage. Thomas became a key part of the king’s household as a gentleman of the privy chamber. This gave him further access to the monarchy and all of the authority that came with it. However, there was a chilling twist that nobody could have seen coming.
6. His Nephew Had Power
Jane and Henry married in early 1536. In October 1537, Jane succeeded where Henry’s previous wives had failed. She finally gave him the son and heir he so greatly longed for. Unfortunately, Jane and the rest of the Seymours had little time to enjoy this great success before disaster struck.
7. He Lost His Safety Net
Jane had a long and arduous labor. She’d spent two days and three nights struggling to bring Edward into the world. No source can agree on the exact complication or infection that got to her; however, the details do not change the harrowing fact that—not two weeks after bringing her son into the world—Jane left it.
As devastating as her passing was, she'd left behind the key to her family's good fortune.
8. He Held Onto Power
Thankfully for Thomas and his remaining siblings, Jane had managed to produce an heir before passing. Their nephew, Edward, now forever tied them to the crown. Thomas was now the uncle to the heir apparent, which enabled him to keep his position at court, even with the passing of his sister.
Thomas continued to serve Henry VIII in many ways—including fetching his sister’s replacement.
9. He Represented The Crown
Thomas spent many years in foreign affairs on behalf of Henry VIII. Not only did he accompany an embassy to the French court in 1538, but he also found himself among those Henry selected to go meet his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, at Calais in December 1539. However, Thomas's seemingly good standing in court would soon be his emotional undoing.
10. He Met A Woman
Thomas’s life took a change, seemingly for the better, in 1542. This year, Catherine Parr entered the court and encountered Thomas for the first time. During this period, Catherine was still married to her second husband, John Neville, 3rd Baron Latimer. However, the connection that bloomed between Catherine and Thomas outlived Catherine’s marriage.
11. He Started A Romance
Following the passing of her second husband, Catherine used her connections to forge a close friendship with Henry’s eldest daughter, Lady Mary (as she was known at the time). This ensured her ability to remain at court, which is likely where Catherine’s romance with Thomas first began to bloom.
Catherine had every hope to marry Thomas, should he dare to ask...that is, if it weren’t for another man whose eye Catherine had caught.
12. He Opposed The King
As a lady in Mary’s household, Catherine opened herself to the attention of another man: Henry VIII himself. When Henry proposed marriage, Catherine saw no escape from the situation. Thomas, too, could say little against the king. When a king, especially a king as volatile as Henry, asked for something, you had no choice but to give it to him.
Henry and Catherine married—and subsequently, Thomas had to face the sad reality of his situation.
To remove Thomas from court during Henry’s marriage to the woman that Thomas loved, Henry gave him a position in Brussels within the Habsburg court. This enabled him to be elevated to a position of authority when war broke out between England and France. Thomas distinguished himself during this period; however, he was merely waiting for the tides to turn.
14. He Waited It Out
Being the wife of Henry VIII was never going to be a safe walk in the park. Catherine Parr was wife number six. Over half of her predecessors were no longer living, with two of them losing their heads in the process. It’s hard to say what Catherine and Thomas feared when she married Henry.
However, Catherine defied the odds stacked against her—and in 1547, Thomas’s standing in the world rose even further.
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15. His Nephew Was King
Henry VIII finally kicked the bucket in January 1547. Thomas, who had just returned to court, now found his position in life greatly elevated. His nephew, nine-year-old Edward, ruled as king of England, and he needed guardianship. As per the late king’s direction, England created a regency council to help guide the child until he came of age.
Thomas found himself among those tapped for the role—but there was just one detail that ate at him.
16. He Earned A New Title
Due to their increased status, the crown gifted both Thomas and his brother, Edward, titles. Thomas became Baron Seymour of Sudeley, and Edward became Duke of Somerset. Thanks to complex political alignments, Thomas’s brother had found himself in a more favorable position. This, of course, did not sit well with Thomas.
17. His Brother Took Power
While technically both brothers belonged to the regency council and supposedly had some influence over their child-king nephew, the Duke of Somerset held the power. England made Somerset "Protector" regent, or Lord Protector of England in unofficial terms, while Thomas merely possessed the title of Lord High Admiral.
Jealousy began to fester in Thomas—and it drove him to do the unthinkable.
18. He Was Jealous
Thomas was undoubtedly green with envy and wanted what his brother had. He continually sought ways to undermine his brother, as he coveted the position of Lord Protector for himself. To do so, he sought to win favor with his nephew. Thomas attempted to buy his way into Edward's heart, so that in matters of significance, he may prefer his Uncle Thomas over his Uncle Somerset.
19. He Bribed A King
Not only did Thomas spend copious amounts of time with Edward, but he also regularly offered the boy extravagant gifts of money in secret. Edward may have been king, but nothing accounted for his pocket money. Thomas hoped to endear himself to Edward by gifting him these freedoms, to allow him to feel "grown up" and "king-like".
However, Thomas needed more sway than bribing a child to win against his brother.
20. His Girl Was Free
At the time of Henry’s passing, Thomas remained unattached. Gossip and speculation linked him to Mary Howard, the widow of Henry VIII’s illegitimate son. However, Thomas was free to marry as he wished. While he’d supposedly expressed interest in marriage to both of Henry’s daughters, Henry’s passing left an even more desirable marriage available to him.
21. He Married A Queen
Thomas and Catherine’s earlier romance now left Thomas in the prime position to reconnect with the dowager Queen. Their romance resumed within weeks of Henry’s passing in January 1547. They wasted no time and married, in secret, in April or May 1547. The timing of this hasty union shocked many at court.
22. He Angered The Court
There were quite a few at court who did not approve of the marriage or how quickly it came on the heels of Henry’s demise. In particular, Thomas’s sister-in-law, Anne Stanhope, opposed the union greatly. She used her influence as the wife of the Lord Protector to turn many at court against them. However, the scandalous behavior had yet to even start.
23. He Moved House
Following the marriage, Thomas joined Catherine at her household in London. Catherine lived at Chelsea Manor along with her stepdaughter, the future Queen Elizabeth, who was currently only 14 years old. Despite this and the fact that he was uncle to her half-brother, Thomas began exhibiting concerning behavior towards the young princess.
24. He Found A New “Interest”
Elizabeth was 14 at this time, while Thomas was nearly 40. However, shortly after arriving at Chelsea Manor, Thomas began to be “affectionate” with Elizabeth. He’d tickle her and even spend time with her while she was dressed in her nightclothes. But that wasn't the most disturbing part.
Perhaps one of the most shocking accounts of Thomas's dynamic with Elizabeth was that he was known to smack her posterior while she was in bed. Those around Elizabeth began expressing their deep concern.
25. His Wife Didn’t Mind
Initially, the behavior did not bother Catherine, who wrote it off as harmless play. In some cases, Catherine even joined in on the “teasing” of her stepdaughter. Elizabeth’s governess, Kat Ashley, however, had a much different view of things. Not that the concerns of a governess, even a governess to a princess, bothered Thomas one bit.
26. He Will Not Leave It
Thomas’s behavior scandalized Ashley. She considered the behavior, given Thomas’s age and status in the family, most improper—and attempted to get Thomas to stop. However, in response to Ashley’s scorn, Thomas replied with indignation, calling out, “By God's precious soul, I mean no evil, and I will not leave it!"
Someone with more power would need to intervene on Elizabeth’s behalf.
27. His Wife Changed Her Mind
Although Catherine initially thought nothing of her husband’s behavior, she eventually had a change of heart. In the spring of 1548, Catherine carried her and Thomas’s first child, and she finally began to feel ill at ease with the way Thomas treated Elizabeth. She finally intervened.
28. His Advances Were Stopped
Catherine did not confront her husband on the matter. Instead, she removed the issue altogether. She sent Elizabeth to live with Ashley’s sister and her husband, Sir Anthony Denny. This saved Elizabeth from further attention. However, no one questioned the young girl about her feelings toward the situation.
29. He Was Amusing
No one is certain how Elizabeth felt about the “affair” with Thomas Seymour. Those privy to the situation claimed that Elizabeth felt some sort of affection for Thomas. While Ashley chased Thomas away, insisting that he should feel ashamed, Elizabeth supposedly didn't consider him dangerous. However, at 14, she may not have realized the severity of the risk had it not ended when it had.
30. His Family Grew
Thomas and Catherine moved their household to Gloucestershire in June 1548. They returned to the land the crown had granted Thomas, along with his title, Sudeley Castle. The move likely coincided with Catherine nearing the end of her pregnancy, for she gave birth to their daughter three months later. However, they had little time to enjoy their new family.
31. His Wife Changed
Catherine suffered greatly following her labor. She became volatile and unstable—neither trait characteristic of her. In an attempt to calm her, Thomas did something so heartbreaking, it's unforgettable. He crawled into her bed and lay down beside her. Tragically, though, there was nothing he could do to save her.
In the end, Catherine succumbed to complications with childbirth. Thomas now had a daughter but no wife—and still very little power at court.
32. He Renewed His Advances
Catherine passed just days before Elizabeth’s 15th birthday. Despite Thomas being “amazed” by his wife’s sudden passing, his eyes continued to wander. Chillingly, they found their way back to Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth evaded him. No longer having Catherine as a justifiable connection, Elizabeth went to stay at her childhood home.
If Thomas had been hoping to secure status with a marriage to Elizabeth, he’d have to try another angle.
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33. He Went To His Nephew
Failing to secure a significant connection with the 15-year-old Elizabeth, Thomas returned to the friendship that he’d bought with his nephew, the king. Thomas attempted to use the affection he’d bought from Edward to pass a bill that would elevate Thomas to Edward’s governor, thus giving him more power. Unfortunately, Edward did not respond as Thomas hoped.
34. His Nephew Wouldn’t Help
Thomas wanted Edward to give the bill his royal signature. However, Edward did not feel comfortable going behind the back of the Lord Protector or the regency council. Thomas persisted on the matter until Edward began to feel alarmed by the mounting pressure. Facing failure in influencing the King to bend to his will, Thomas began thinking of taking drastic action.
35. He Made Plans
Thomas’s plans of rebellion predated the passing of his wife and his potential attempt to woo the young Elizabeth. His first opportunity came in the summer of 1547 when Somerset left the court to invade England. In the absence of his brother, Thomas attempted to gather support for his plans.
36. He Spoke Out
During that period in 1547, Thomas shamelessly criticized his brother’s skills as Lord Protector. Many members of the court felt that his actions were dubious and encouraged Thomas to find satisfaction in the power that he did have. Unfortunately, they couldn’t sway Thomas, who continued to look for opportunities to topple his brother.
37. He Used His Authority
The title of Lord High Admiral gave Thomas the power to control the navy—but with rebellion on his mind, he turned down a path of corruption. Instead of suppressing piracy as his role required him to, Thomas began negotiating with pirates in the hopes that they’d support his rebellion. He also made underhanded deals in an attempt to secure the necessary finances.
Soon, others became aware of his nefarious dealings.
38. His Brother Tried To Help
Although Thomas actively attempted to usurp his brother, Somerset still tried to protect Thomas. When the regency council discovered the extent of Thomas’s actions in 1548, Somerset called a meeting so that Thomas could make a case for himself. However, instead of providing a reasonable explanation for his actions, Thomas failed to show up. Things continued to unravel from there.
39. He Took A Risk
For reasons that no one has ever been able to fully understand, Thomas decided to make a bizarre move: He trespassed at Hampton Court Palace on January 16, 1549, sneaking into the King's private quarters. The leading theory is that Thomas thought he could smuggle the young king away and keep him in his custody.
However, Thomas’s blundering stopped the heist before it even began.
40. He Failed
Thomas used the privy garden to break into the King's apartments. This proved to be a disastrous error as young Edward had several pet spaniels, and Thomas inevitably roused one of them. However, his reaction was downright demented. Thomas ultimately fired at the dog, ending its life in the process.
His mission had failed, but the worst was yet to come.
41. He Was Caught
The consequences that awaited Thomas were bone-chilling. Authorities rounded him up the following day—and whisked him off to the dreaded Tower of London. After all, he was guilty of handling a loaded pistol right outside King Edward's bedchambers.
His actions painted the picture of treason, and that picture also endangered anyone associated with him.
42. He Dragged Others Down
Thomas's treasonous plot threw suspicion upon none other than 15-year-old Elizabeth. The council felt convinced of Elizabeth’s involvement in Thomas's scheming and became determined to prove it. This put Elizabeth in a dangerous position—but at first, she was completely oblivious to the chaos that threatened to consume her.
43. He Caused Elizabeth Problems
Elizabeth, still a young girl, did not initially realize how serious the situation truly was. It was only when the council detained her servants, including the faithful Kat Ahsley, that Elizabeth realized the full scope of the danger she was in. The fate of Thomas's life was intrinsically tied to her own.
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44. He Motivated Elizabeth To Act
When Elizabeth learned that Thomas likely faced execution, she turned desperate and became determined to win salvation for both herself and her servants. However, the regency council members weren't easily convinced of her innocence. The interrogations she endured went on for weeks and weeks.
45. His Sins Were Revealed
While Thomas’s “flirtations” with Elizabeth came to light during this period, the council found no proof that Elizabeth had invited those actions or plotted with Thomas in any way. If the council thought they’d have an easy fight with Elizabeth, then they greatly underestimated the child who proved herself to be clever and shrewd.
Unfortunately, Thomas could not say the same.
46. He Waited For His Fate
Thomas spent a little over a month in the Tower of London waiting to hear of his fate. After the council questioned him and everyone associated with Thomas, they concluded the matter. The council accused Thomas Seymour of 33 charges of treason—only one fate awaited a man charged so conclusively with opposing the crown.
47. He Met His End
Thomas’s crimes condemned him to the same fate as many of Henry’s wives. The council announced his charge on February 22. Thomas waited almost a full month, spending that time locked up in the Tower as many had been before him, before meeting his gruesome end. Thomas faced execution on March 20, 1549, having never achieved the status he felt the crown owed him.
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48. His Legacy Crumbled
The crown removed Thomas’s lands and scattered what remained to those beyond his family. They took back his property at the time of his passing. While this was eventually overturned, Sudeley Castle ultimately went to his brother-in-law, William Parr, not his daughter. Young Mary likely met a tragic end as well.
The fate of Thomas's daughter Mary is unknown, though most believe she passed by the age of two, erasing all hope of Thomas’s legacy carrying on.
49. He Let Ambition Ruin Him
Thomas Seymour entered a world full of opportunity. Unfortunately, he never capitalized on those chances. Instead, he allowed bitterness and stubborn pride to drive him to desperate measures, thus destroying everything that he had. His fate stands as a reminder of all that can happen if you spend too much time focused on what you don’t have instead of what you do.
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