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James VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) ( 19 June 1566– 27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 until his death, and in England and Ireland as James I from 24 March 1603 until his death. James I was the first English monarch of the Stuart dynasty, succeeding the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, who died unmarried and childless. James was a popular and successful monarch in Scotland, but the same was not true in England. He was unable to deal with a hostile English Parliament; the refusal on the part of the House of Commons to impose sufficiently high taxes crippled the royal finances. His taste for political absolutism, his mismanagement of the kingdom's funds and his cultivation of unpopular favourites established the foundation for the English Civil WarThe English Civil War is the period of conflict in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland between 1639 and 1651, and also refers specifically to the two wars ( 1642 1645 and 1648 1649) between the Royalist supporters of Charles I of England and the, during which James's son and successor, Charles ICharles I ( 19 November 1600 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625, until his death. He famously engaged in a struggle for power with Parliament; he was an advocate of the divine right of kings, but his foes in Parl, would be deposed and executed. During James's own life, however, the government of the Kingdom was relatively stable.
Along with Alfred the GreatAlfred ( 849? 26 October, 899) (sometimes spelt lfred was king of England from 871 to 899, though at no time did he rule over the whole of the land. Alfred is famous for his defence of the kingdom against the Danes ( Vikings), and gained the epithet "the, James is considered to have been one of the most intellectual and learned individuals ever to sit on the English or Scottish Throne. Under him, much of the cultural flourishing of Elizabethan EnglandThe Elizabethan Era is the period associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 1603) and is often considered to be a golden age in English history. It was the height of the English Renaissance, and saw the flowering of English literature. It was a continued; individuals such as Sir Francis BaconFor others individuals named Francis Bacon see: Francis Bacon (disambiguation Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans ( January 22, 1561 April 9, 1626), more commonly known as Sir Francis Bacon achieved fame as an English philosopher, statesman, and essayis (afterwards Viscount St Albans) and William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 ( O. May 3, 1616 ( N. has a reputation as the greatest writer the English language has ever known. Indeed, the English Renaissance has often been called "the age of Shakespe flourished during the reign. James himself was a talented scholar, writing works such as Daemonologie ( 1597Events January 24 Battle of Turnhout. Maurice of Nassau defeats a Spanish force under Jean de Rie of Varas in the Netherlands The first opera is considered to have been written. Bali discovered by the Dutch explorer Cornelis Houtman Births Pieter Saenreda), The True Law of Free Monarchies ( 1598), Basilikon Doron ( 1599) and A Counterblast to Tobacco ( 1604).
1 Early life
James was the eldest son of Mary I, Queen of Scots and of her second husband, Henry Stuart, Duke of Albany (more commonly known as Lord Darnley). James's mother was an insecure ruler, as both she and her husband, being Roman Catholics, faced a rebellion of Protestant noblemen. Their marriage, furthermore, was a particularly difficult one. Whilst Mary was pregnant with James, the Duke of Albany secretly allied himself with the rebels and murdered the Queen's private secretary, David Rizzio.
James was born on 19 June 1566 at Edinburgh Castle, and automatically became Duke of Rothesay and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland , for he was the eldest son of the monarch and thus the heir-apparent. He received the name Charles James, the first name in honour of his godfather Charles IX of France, thus becoming the first future British monarch to have more than one forename. James's father was murdered on 10 February 1567 at Kirk o' Field , most likely to avenge the slaying of Rizzio. Mary's marriage to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was widely suspected of murdering the Duke of Albany, on 15 May of the same year made her even more unpopular. In June 1567, the Protestant rebels arrested Mary and imprisoned her in Loch Leven Castle. Mary was forced to abdicate the Throne on 24 July, which consequently went to James, then only thirteen months old.
