James VI of Scotalnd/I of England

 James VI of Scotland/ I of England

King James was born on 19th of June, 1566, at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. He was the son of Queen Mary of Scotland and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. 

 

Young James 

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley (1546-1567); James's father. 

Mary, Queen of Scotland (1542-1567); James's mother

During the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation was taking place across Western Europe. Scotland was not exempted either. In 1560, John Knox, a Protestant minister, established what is known as the Church of Scotland. On the other hand, the House of Stuart, the ruling dynasty, was Catholic. In 1567, Lord Darnley was found dead and many nobles accused Queen Mary of killing him. Three months later, she got married to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, thus proving, in some people's opinions, that she had been involved in the assassination of James's father. In the end, her mother was forced to abdicate in favor of her one-year-old son. She managed to flee to England, but she ended up being beheaded in 1587.

John Knox (1514-1572)

Because James was still an infant, a minority government was established to rule in the King's name. The head of the government was James's half-uncle, James Stuart, 1st Lord of Moray. Meanwhile, the young King received a proper education for a monarch, one of his tutors being George Buchanan. 

James Stewart (1531-1570); he was assassinated by one the Queen Mary's supporters

In 1570, after Stewart's assassination, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, became the new regent. However, he was also killed by one of the Queen's supporters, after a year and a half. As a result, John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, became the new regent, but he would die of illness in 1572. The next regent was James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton and he proved to be the most successful of the four. His policies managed to bring back political stability in Scotland. As for King James, he continued to be raised at Stirling Castle. 

Matthew Stewart (1516-1571)

John Erskine (d.1572)

James Douglas (1516-1581)

Thanks to the tutors appointed by the government, young James became one of the most educated kings in Europe. He learned to read and write in Latin, Scots, French and Greek. It is worth mentioning that despite being baptized as a Catholic, he received a Protestant education. In 1579, James, now 13 years old, was proclaimed an adult ruler in a ceremony held in Edinburgh. In 1581, James Douglas was executed and James appointed Esme Stewart, his first cousin, the new head of the government. Furthermore, Esme was elevated to the title of Earl of Lennox

Esme Stewart, Earl of Lennox (1542-1583)

His influence over James worried the Scottish Lords. Despite being a Protestant convert, he had Franco-Catholic background, which was not seen with good eyes by many nobles. So, they began conspiring. In 1582, in what became known as Ruthven Raid, the Protestant earls of Gowrie and Angus lured the king into Ruthven Castle, imprisoned him, and forced Lennox to leave Scotland. A year later, James was released and he made it clear that he wanted to govern personally without the influence of other lords.
 

James VI of Scotland, in 1583

He started by curtailing the power of the lords but this was not an easy task. Following decades of political instability, the Scottish noblemen had became very influential and they had imposed a monopoly on the government. Eventually, he succeeded in establishing effective royal governance and relative peace among the lords, ably assisted by John Maitland of Thirlestane, who James appointed the Lord Chancellor of Scotland. A commission formed of eight men known as the Octavians brought some control over the ruinous state of Scotland's finances in 1596. 

John Maitland (1537-1595)

In 1586, England and Scotland signed the Treaty of Berwick. As part of the agreement, James received an annual subsidy from the English government. In return, Scotland offered to provide military aid to England in case of a foreign invasion. But, there was another vested interest of the Scottish king. Queen Elizabeth I of England was in her 50s and childless. As a result, the Tudor dynasty would have ceased to exist upon her death. Meanwhile, James was the great-grandson of Margaret Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth's father. So, now with a queen without any legitimate heirs, James became her most likely successor. In 1589, James married Anne of Denmark. Despite being known as gay, James needed children to secure his line of succession. The couple had 6 children, but only 2 reached adulthood. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and without any other pretenders, the crown passed to James VI of Scotland, from now on also James I of England. 

King James I of England c.1605

Even though the transition of power was a smooth process, there was still opposition. In his first year of reign, he survived both the Bye Plot and Main Plot. Leaving the day-to-day running of the government to his experienced ministers, James attempted to unify his two kingdoms. After his coronation as King of England, both Scotland and England were united in a personal union in which despite having the same monarch, they still had their own governments, boundaries and laws. In foreign affairs, James pursued a peace policy and tried to avoid involvement in religious wars, such as the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). 

Treaty of London (1604), which ended the Anglo-Spanish War

King James c.1621

In his last years, James suffered increasingly from arthritis, gout and kidney stones. In 1625, he fell seriously ill in March and suffered a stroke. He died on 27 March, 1625 at Theobalds House, Hertfordshire.