As James VI, and from 1567 until 1625, he was the king of
Scotland.
As James I, and from 1603 until
1625, he was the king of
England. James preferred the title King of Great
Britain.
King
James I did well in Scotland, but not so well in England.
The Family of
James I
James' father was Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. His mother was
Mary, Queen of Scots.
Thus James became the first ruler of the
Stuarts
to rule over England.
In 1589, James married Anne, daughter of Frederick II of
Denmark.
Their sons were Henry,
Charles, and Elizabeth.
James' Way to the
Throne
The Scottish had enough of their queen Mary and forced her to
abdicate in 1567. Wee James, just one year old, became king of
Scotland. The Erskine brothers looked after him.
Later in life,
James had to make up his mind whose side he wanted to take:
The ones in favor of the Roman Catholic
faith,
an alliance with France, and his mother
OR
The ones in favor of the Protestant
faith,
and an alliance with England.
What to do?
James himself was a Presbyterian.
Another factor worth considering was that
Elizabeth I of England was without
an heir. Now, James' great-grandmother, Margaret Tudor, was
Henry VIII's elder sister. It could work.
In 1586, James allied himself with the
English.
In 1587, James' mother was executed by orders of Elizabeth I. James
was cool as a cucumber.
In 1603, James followed Elizabeth I to the throne.
James' Life — Some
Highlights
In 1604, James authorized a new Bible
translation, the Authorized Version or the King James
Version.
In 1605, James' spies discovered
Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot.
In 1607, Jamestown was founded and in
1616 James met
Pocahontas.
James's son Charles followed him to the
throne as
Charles I.
See also
Governments of
Great Britain
