GCSE History Edexcel: Henry VIII - Jane Seymour Marriage, Death & Influence (Lesson 14)

In this lesson, students will be able to investigate the brief marriage between Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour. The lesson is suited for or could easily be adapted for students aged 12-16

This lesson examines the following questions relating to Henry and Jane’s marriage:
Why did Henry marry Jane so soon after Anne Boleyn’s death?
Why was Jane’s birth to a baby boy so significant for Henry?
What influence did Jane and her family have on Henry and Edward?

This is a fully resourced lesson which includes a printable fact sheet based on the GCSE Edexcel specification as well as worksheets, discussion tasks, engaging background information, warm up tasks and learning reviews.

The downloaded lesson includes the following:

1x main Power Point:
Slide 1: Title slide – Jane Seymour: Marriage, childbirth & Influence on Henry
Slide 2: Main Lesson Aims
Slide 3: As You Enter Warm Up: A numeracy/mathematical activity based on Henry’s age when he married.
Slide 4-5: Recap Quiz: Students will decide if the statement best describes Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn or both. Answers given.
Slide 6: Starter Question: Why was having a healthy baby boy so important to Henry?
Slide 7: Source Analysis: Students study a painting of Henry, Edward and Jane Seymour and answer questions based on the image and its reliability.
Slide 8-9: Background information – An overview of why Henry no longer had any legitimate heirs by 1536. This also covers the Act of Succession and Henry Fitzroy (Henry’s illegitimate son).
Slide 10-11: Task 1 – A basic worksheet for students to complete which directly links to the fact sheet at the end of the lesson.
Slide 12: Task 2 – How successful was the marriage between Henry VIII and Jane Seymour? A table-based activity.
Slide 13: Follow Up Challenge Questions
Slide 14: Example Exam Questions
Slide 15-17: Learning Review Crossword with answers revealed and a printable sheet
Slide 18: Lesson fact sheet

I would be really grateful if you could leave a review for the lesson if you feel the lesson is effective for you. Many thanks if you spend some of your valuable time doing this as feedback is highly valued.

All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.