James I (1566 – 1625)

James I of England is also James VI of Scotland, his succession to the throne of England, united the crowns of Scotland and England and began the illustrious Stuart dynasty.

James was born on 19th June 1566, in Edinburgh Castle, the only son of Mary Queen of Scots, who was forced to abdicate and had to abandon her son when he was just 13 months old, while James’ father, Robert Darnely, was murdered before he was one. James was raised a Protestant, (his mother was Catholic) by a succession of regents, many of whom were assassinated.

When James took power in Scotland he sought to establish control of the various religious factions and set about repressing Catholic rebels. He also built alliances with England, offering Elizabeth I support and maintained Scottish neutrality when the Spanish Armada threatened England. When Elizabeth died childless, the throne of England was granted to James, her second cousin.

James was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey in 1603, though this united the crowns of England and Scotland the two nations remained separate entities until a century later.

But James found himself an outsider in the English court, his expenditure brought him into conflict with parliament, who refused to raise taxes and his belief in the divine right of Kings, that the King was chosen by God and should be granted absolute rule, was regarded as dictatorship. James dissolved parliament on a number of occasions, ruling by himself, but each time had to reconvene parliament when he ran out of money.

There were also a number of religious issues in court and a number of plots to assassinate the King. The most famous of these was the Gunpowder plot of Guy Fawkes, a plot by Catholic dissenters to blow up the House of Lords as parliament and the King gathered for the State Opening in 1605. The plot was foiled and the event is still remembered each year in the Britain with on November 5th, when fires are lit and an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burnt.

James’ legacy included the translation of the Bible into English - the King James Bible, which has become the standard text for some 250 years. In 1607, the settlement of Jamestown was established in Virginia Colony in America. But the most pressing legacy left by James I, was the depth of mistrust and ill feeling felt between parliament and the monarchy, that under James’ successor Charles I, would lead to Civil War.