Outlander fans will be getting a treat this summer when prequel series Blood of My Blood lands on screens and tells another epic tale of love across the ages.
The 10-episode drama will chart the love story of Brian Fraser (played by Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) in the 18th century and separately the romance between Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) during World War I.
Audiences will get to see how Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser’s (CaitrÃona Balfe ) parents met and fell in love against very different and challenging circumstances, reports the Daily Express.
Outlander fans will only have heard snippets here and there over time about both of these romances, however, many not realise what befell Jamie’s mother Ellen and her tragic end.
Claire learnt about Ellen when she visited Lallybroch with a painting of her hanging in the house, and Jamie also gifted Claire his mother’s pearls.
Moreover, Brianna MacKenzie (Sophie Skelton) is said to have a striking resemblance to Ellen due to her red hair and stature.
How did Jamie Fraser’s mother die in Outlander?
Ellen and Brian were happily married with the couple living in Lallybroch with their young family.
They had four children but sadly, Ellen died aged 38 in childbirth with her son newborn son Robert.
Both Ellen and Robert died together with mother and infant buried together, as Jamie told Claire in The Fiery Cross.
Childbirth and maternal mortality rates during this era were much higher due to the lack of medical resources and medication, as evidenced by Claire’s 20th century medical knowledge which has saved countless people in Outlander.
In fact, Claire even helped Jenny Fraser (Laura Donnelly) to give birth in season one in Lallybroch, and since then assisted other women.
Tragically, Ellen had already lost her eldest son William two years prior in 1727 after contracting smallpox.
Sadly, it would be almost 80 years later that a vaccine would be developed with the child perishing at 11-years-old and Jamie finding himself becoming the heir to the family estate.
The deaths of William, Ellen and Robert hit the Fraser family hard with Jamie and Jenny having to continue on through their grief.
Season seven of Outlander even saw Jamie and Jenny (Kristin Atherton) having a tender and heartbreaking moment after she was left grief-stricken over her husband Ian’s (Steven Cree) terminal illness.
Jamie reminisced how Jenny had put on her mother’s apron and set about making dinner for the family after Ellen died.
Both Jenny and Jamie had a steadfast resolve to continue, but they were still heartbroken by the deaths of their mother and their siblings.
Blood of My Blood will see Brian and Ellen’s passionate romance play out, including how they couple fell pregnant despite the wishes of her family.
Ellen hid away while her pregnancy developed and only emerged later when it was undeniable and she would inevitably have to marry Brian much to her family’s chagrin.