On this day in 1536, Henry VIII became betrothed to Jane Seymour. 

Less than 24 hours after Queen Anne Boleyn was beheaded within the grounds of the Tower of London, Henry VIII moved swiftly to secure his third wife, Jane Seymour.

On the 20th of May 1536, the King became officially betrothed to Jane, a lady-in-waiting who had once served both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. The speed of the betrothal shocked many, both then and now. While Anne’s body was just barely in the ground of the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Henry was already turning his attention to the woman he believed would finally give him a legitimate male heir.

The haste was not just personal; it was political. Henry had been courting Jane long before Anne’s arrest, and some historians suggest Jane’s supporters, including the powerful Seymour family, played a key role in the events that led to Anne’s downfall.

Whether Jane knew of Henry’s plan to dispose of Anne is uncertain, but on this day, she became queen in all but name. Their formal marriage would take place just eleven days later, on the 30th of May, 1536.

In less than two weeks, Henry had removed one queen, married another, and reshaped the court, once again, to serve his dynastic ambitions.