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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Oct 23 2009, 2:09 PM EDT (current) | MsSquirrly | 12 words added |
| Oct 23 2009, 1:51 PM EDT | MsSquirrly | 16 words added |
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Sir Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley as played by Andrew McNair
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| born c. 1508 - executed March 20, 1549 by order of Edward VI's privy council Character's backstory: 4th son of Sir John Seymour & brother of Jane Seymour & Edward Seymour. His connections ensured his promotion, and he quickly won the favour of the King, who gave him many grants of land and employed him in the royal household and on diplomatic missions abroad. From 1540 to 1542 he was at Vienna, and in 1543 in the Netherlands, where he served with distinction in the war against France, holding for a short time the supreme command of the English army. In 1544 he was rewarded with the post of master of the ordnance for life, becoming admiral of the fleet a few months later, in which capacity he was charged with guarding the Channel against French invasion. Gentility: Gentry Position:Master of the ordinance for life, Admiral of the fleet. King Henry VIII left Seymour a legacy by his will, and is said to have directed that he should be raised to the peerage.In February 1547 he was accordingly created Baron Seymour of Sudeley and appointed Lord High Admiral Personality type:strong, handsome man who was esteemed as a good magnate by his peers because of his strength in tournament and war. Signature look: Historian David Starkey describes Thomas thus: 'tall, well-built and with a dashing beard and auburn hair, he was irresistible to women'. Endearing trait(s):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' Annoying trait(s): Headstrong & Impetuous. Ambitious for power, a jealous and a seditious nature |  An apocryphal legend has it that upon hearing his death Princess Elizabeth Tudor is said to have remarked: 'Today died a man with much wit and not much judgment.' |
CHARACTER CONNECTIONSFamily members: Father : Sir John Seymour Mother: Margaret Wentworth Sister : Jane Seymour Brother: Edward Seymour Sister-in-Law: Anne Stanhope Daughter:Mary Seymour Marriage (s): Catherine Parr Romance(s): Mary Fitzroy nee Howard, widow of Henry Fitzroy Princess Elizabeth Tudor Friends: Enemies: Links: | Scandals: From the time he was made Lord High Admiral he was mainly occupied in intrigue against his brother the Protector, Edward Seymour of whose power he was jealous; and he aimed at procuring for himself the position of guardian of the young king,Edward VI. Several matrimonial projects entered into Seymour's schemes for gratifying his ambitions, including Princess Mary Tudor & Mary Fitzroy nee Howard (Henry's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy's widow). No sooner was Henry VIII dead than the Lord High Admiral tried to secure Princess Elizabeth Tudor (later queen) in marriage; and when this project was frustrated he secretly married the late king's widow,Catherine Parr, whose hand he had vainly sought as early as 1543. He also took steps to ingratiate himself with Edward, and proposed a marriage between the king and the Lady Jane Grey. He entered into relations with pirates on the western coasts, whom it was his duty as Lord High Admiral to suppress, with a view to securing their support; and when the Protector invaded Scotland in the summer of 1547, Seymour fomented opposition to his authority in his absence. On the death of his wife in September of the same year, he made renewed attempts to marry the Princess Elizabeth Tudor. Thomas developed a plan to kidnap the King. On the night of the 16th of January 1549, 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. Alerted by the dog, the guards arrested Thomas, and he was sent to the Tower of London.He was convicted of 33 counts of treason, and executed on the 20th of March 1549. |
UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER QUOTES
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DEFINING EPISODES | MEMORABLE SCENES
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PHOTOS
 |  Thomas Seymour by unknown artist at the National Portrait Gallery in London |
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 Thomas Seymour, to the left of Charles Brandon at Thomas Cromwell's execution | |
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 Sudeley Castle |  |
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