King James VI of Scotland had awaiting the news from England for some time, and in April 1603 it arrived. The virgin Queen Elizabeth I had passed away at Richmond palace on March 24th 1603. King James VI of Scotland was now also King James I of England.

King James: His Path to the Throne of England

In 1502 Henry Tudor, King Henry VII gave his consent for his daughter Margaret Tudor to marry James Stewart, King James IV of Scotland.

Henry may have suspected, but could not know for sure, that he was to secure the throne of England for a future Scottish king. This was his grandson, James VI of Scotland, who was to unite the two royal houses. This union came to pass in 1630 when Queen Elizabeth died without an heir to her throne.


In doing so an uneasy union was created when James I of England and VI of Scotland became the first man to use the unofficial title of King of Great Britain to describe himself and his position.

How did this complex web of family ties lead to James VI becoming James I, the first Stewart king of England?

Henry VII of England and his wife Elizabeth of York

It all began with Henry Tudor, King Henry VII. Following his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry took for his wife and queen Elizabeth of York. The children of the marriage were.

• Arthur, Prince of Wales.
• Elizabeth Tudor.
• Mary, Queen of France.
• Edmund, Duke of Somerset.
• Katherine Tudor. Died at the age of three years and two months.
• Henry VIII, King of England.
• Margaret, Queen of Scots, wife of King James IV, mother of King James V and grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was related to the Tudors as her grandmother, Margaret Tudor was Henry VIII's older sister. Margaret became the wife of King James V of Scotland, and her son was Mary's James V, was Mary's father. This meant Henry VIII was her great Uncle was Henry VIII, and Elizabeth was her cousin.

Henry VII said when he agreed to Margaret's marriage into the Royal family of Scotland, There will be a Scottish king on the English throne one day.

James Stewart His Early Years In Scotland

As the child of Mary I Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Darnley young James, his early life in Scotland filled with political intrigue and danger. James was far from happy and was to fear assassination most of his early life. He was born on 19 June 1566, at Edinburgh Castle had lived with the constant threat of sudden violent death since he was a boy. His father Henry Stewart (Stuart¹) the Lord Darnley had met a very violent end when James was just 8 months old.

On 9 February, 1567 at the Provost's House, Kirk o'Field, Edinburgh, the assassination of Lord Darnley took place. On that evening Mary had visited Darnley, upon her departure, the household servants prepared for the night. It was just after midnight on the 10th February, that part of house was destroyed by a massive explosion. Darnley and his servant were found in the garden near the house, they had both been strangled. It was never proved who the killers of Darnley were all there was just the evidence of some very foul play, and very well kept secrets.

On 15 May, 1567, just 4 months after the death of Darnley. A marriage took place between Mary Stewart and James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. He had been her advisor while she was married to Darnley. This made it look like Mary had had a hand in Darnley's murder. This was too much for her people and the revolt was swift. On 15 June, 1567, the Protestant Lords rose up against her, the armies met at Carberry Hill (Near the coast, 2 miles outside of Musselburgh near the village of Carberry village) and, deserted by many of her supporters, Mary had no alternative but to surrender. Bothwell fled to Scandinavia, and he was captured by the Danes, he was jailed until his death in 1576 and never saw Mary again. Mary was taken and imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle Kinross-shire where on 24 July, 1567 she was forced to abdicate. James was crowned king in Stirling, and became king of Scotland.

On 2 May, 1568, Mary fled from Loch Leven Castle. On 13 May, 1568, with the aid of the Hamilton faction, Mary mustered a large army in opposition to Moray, her half-brother and regent to James. The opposing forces clashed at Langside near Glasgow. Both sides were numerically even, but Moray's troops were better armed and led.


'Mary's forces were defeated, and this led to her flight from Scotland when her son, the young James, was just over a year old. She landed in Workington in Cumbria and was taken to Carlisle Castle where she was held.'

When she landed in England she was taken to Carlisle Castle where she was held. Mary asked Queen Elizabeth I, her cousin, for asylum.
Elizabeth realised that Mary could become a focus for a Catholic rebellion. At first Elizabeth welcomed Mary to England and refused to return her to the Scottish government, but she set a guard on Mary while she decided what to do.

This now meant James was now king and now a pawn in the power struggle for Scotland, whoever possessed the guardianship of James was the ruler of Scotland in his name. The list of James guardians or regents who governed during his minority is simply a roll of the most powerful men in Scotland. The first was James Stuart Earl of Moray, Moray was a staunch member of the Protestant Church of Scotland. James was to be brought up as a Protestant the religious beliefs of most of Scottish gentry. Moray appointed the following men as James's preceptors², Adam Erskine abbot of Cambuskenneth and David Erskine, abbot of Dryburghas. And as tutors George Buchanan and Peter Young. It was George Buchanan who provided frequent beatings and made James a God-fearing, Protestant king.

James Stuart Earl of Moray - Regent from 1568 to 1570. James was a half brother to the young king, an illegitimate son of James V. His regency ended when he was assassinated in Linlithgow on 23 January 1570, by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh who was a Catholic supporter of Mary.³ He was an excellent regent and earned the epithet The Gude Regent.

Matthew Stuart the 4th Earl of Lennox - Regent from 12 July 1570 to 4 September 1571 and James's forth regent was killed at Stirling Castle. A group of Mary's supporters raided the castle, during this raid Matthew Stewart was killed in combat.

John Erskine Earl of Mar - Regent from John Erskine Earl of Mar - Regent September 1571 to October 1572 witnesses said that he "took a vehement sickness", and passed away at Stirling on 28 of October 1572. There were rumors circulated that suggested he was victim of foul play involving poison and James Douglas the Earl of Morton.

The final regent was James Douglas Earl of Morton - Regent from November 1572 he remained regent until James came of age. Morton was later accused of involvement in the death of Lord Darnley, and he was imprisoned in Dumbarton Castle. At his trial Morton was found guilty of taking part in Darnley's murder. He protested his innocence to the end. His execution took place on 2 June 1581.

As James in his early life was aware of this violent unrest, as powerful lords were despatched in rapid succession. It was later said of him that he was a coward, but he can hardly be blamed, or for his lifelong fear of intrigue and assassination.

James the first King of Great Britain⁴

On March 24th 1603 the virgin Queen Elizabeth I, passed away at Richmond palace. One of the Queen's courtiers Sir Robert Carey⁵, took the decision to make the journey⁶ to inform King James VI of Scotland that he was now also King James I⁷ of England. Sir Robert found James at his palace of Holyrood⁸ and became the first man to give James the news of the Queen's death. James appears delighted with the news and as a reward appointed Sir Robert to the post of Gentleman of the Kings Bedchamber. Sir Robert had defied the orders of the Privy Council in London, by unofficially breaking the news to James. It was customary for monarchs to reward a service of this kind and Sir Robert would have known that, his actions were condemned as "contrary to all decency, good manners and respect" and Privy Council persuaded James to remove him from the post when he reached London.

It appears that James is pleased with the news, the woman who had ordered the execution of his mother Mary Queen Of Scots was dead and James was the only heir. James prepared for the journey for London and within the week on 5th April he was heading southward to take possession of his inheritance. His enthusiasm to travel to London may be explained by the following factors. He was a Protestant King of a Catholic country riven by religious conflict and assassination was a real threat. England was vastly wealthy and much more sophisticated country. And finally as the King of England James had become one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe. James must have found the prospect of wealth, power and personal safety most appealing.

The Privy Council was made up of the most powerful men in the country. It was responsible for the general administration of the country. By Elizabeth's death in 1603, this had been reduced to thirteen members. The members of the Privy Council were assembled to welcome the new king. Contemporary reports tell us that the Privy Council's first impressions of the new King were not good. He lacked the regal dignity they had become used to. His physical appearance too was disappointing. Long nosed, a sallow “pox marked" face with a thin and scratchy beard and pale watery eyes. He was short with a plump body was supported by thin weedy legs and his voice and vocabulary were course and common. He looked untidy, unkempt and scruffy the Privy Council were a little disappointed. However he was the king and a Scottish king. There must have a deep sigh of relief as the old enemies were united by the common king. England had long been wary of invasion from the north by Scotland and her ally France, and this threat was at last removed. To be fair to James his early life been hard and this produced the man that now accepted the homage due to him as king.

James King And Scholar

James sent a blunt demand from York for more money to continue his trip to London. This failed to improve the Privy Council's opinion of their new king. Upon his approach to the city of London on 7th May, the curious but harmless crowds fussed the coach James lost his courage. On being assured that all was well and they only wanted to see his face, he threatened to moon from the coach window, saying "So they can see my arse as well" those who were used to Queen Elizabeth found this behaviour very odd.

The Privy Council was made up of the most powerful men in the country. It was responsible for the general administration of the country. By Elizabeth's death in 1603, this had been reduced to thirteen members. The members of the Privy Council were assembled to welcome the new king. Contemporary reports tell us that the Privy Council's first impressions of the new King were not good. He lacked the regal dignity they had become used to. His physical appearance too was disappointing. Long nosed, a sallow “pox marked" face with a thin and scratchy beard and pale watery eyes. He was short with a plump body was supported by thin weedy legs and his voice and vocabulary were course and common. He looked untidy, unkempt and scruffy the Privy Council were a little disappointed. However he was the king and a Scottish king. There must have a deep sigh of relief as the old enemies were united by a common king. England had long been wary of invasion from the north by Scotland and her ally France, and this threat was at last removed. To be fair to James his early life been hard and this produced the man that now accepted the homage due to him as king.

James coronation took place on Monday, 25 July 1603, by Archbishop John Whitgift of Canterbury and held his first court at Hampton Court palace.

During his time on the Scottish throne James had brought in line the presbyterian Kirk. The rebellious Scottish nobility to forced into obedience to the crown. He assumed that he could duplicate his success in England. This was not to be the case.

James did have few good points, he had a good mind and was very well informed and if pushed worked hard. Although it would not become an official royal title James was the first monarch to use the term "King of Great Britain and Ireland". This unofficial title was used in parliamentary records and official letters.
King Louis XIII of France addressed James as the title King of Great Britain often in court letters.


James also promoted the idea of a single parliament for both England and Scotland. It was during his reign, that Britain started the colonisation⁹ of Ulster and British colonization of America. He was destined to spend little time in Scotland, with only with one prolonged stay during 1617. Despite this Scotland prospered and James manage to achieve an end to the troubles of Mary's reign.

James also continued to patronize and encourage literature and the arts the theatre ¹⁰ flourished. It is during this period that maps globes first made an appearance in english schools. James led by example writing works such as the Basilikon Doron¹¹ and the Daemonologie¹². Perhaps his most famous work was the essay, "A Counterblast to Tobacco" written in 1604, and the first to realize the dangers of smoking. Sir Anthony Weldon called James "the wisest fool in Christendom", perhaps a harsh view in hindsight.

The King James Bible was named in his honour due to his patronage of its translation. The most interesting translation was that of Exodus 22:18. In the King James Bible version it reads "Thou shall not suffer a witch to live".

Choosing A Wife And Marriage

In order to choose a suitable wife, in 1589 James paid an official visit to the court of protestant king Frederick II of Denmark.

James's visit to Denmark to find a bride was a matter of necessity. One of the duties of a monarch was to provide for an heir. And there were few Protestant Royal families in Europe with eligible daughters.

James had chosen Princess Anne of Denmark, younger daughter of the Protestant King Frederick II. They were married by proxy¹³ in Copenhagen during August 1589. Anne sailed for Scotland but the ship she was travelling on was forced by storms to put into a port in Norway. James and Anne were formally married in Oslo at the Bishop's Palace in November 1589. The couple stayed at Elsinore and Copenhagen. It was during that time James met with the Danish nobleman astronomer Tycho (Tyge) Ottesen Brahe. James had an enquiring mind and sought the company of such men. The royal couple returned to Scotland on 1 May 1590 marriage seems to have been happy particularly in the early years. The royal couple settled down to married life and planning a family

The Witch Hunts

During his visit to Denmark, James was impressed by the Danish witch hunts and trials. This awakened an interest in James, he studied the available works on the subject. Upon his return to Berwick James attended the North Berwick witch trials of 1590. A witch hunt had led to the arrest, and the subsequent trial of Agnes Sampson. James personally examined Agnes at the palace of Holyrood House. She was forced to wear a device called the witches bridle. This fitted around the head and had a device with a mouthpiece with 4 spikes. Two spikes pierced the tongue and the other two pierced the cheeks. Agness was allowed no sleep and tethered by the head to keep her on her feet.

After this treatment it is no surprise that she admitted to 53 charges of witchcraft. She also implicated Lord Bothwell in her plot to kill James by witchcraft. Found guilty she was sentenced to be part strangled and burned. A sentence of this kind was normally carried out in public.

Bothwell tried unsuccessfully to clear his name but he was forced to flee. He escaped from Scotland and eventually settled Naples in Italy where he died an exile in November 1612.

It also was alleged that Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell was plotting with the witches to kill James. and others. They were accused of attempting to kill James, trying to sink a ship upon which he and Anne were returning to Scotland. It was alleged they used witchcraft to create the storms he had suffered on the voyage in order to wreck his ship.

This led to the persecution of witches throughout the kingdom, using existing powers granted by the acts of Elizabeth I, in 1562 and 1563 and James own Witchcraft Act of 1604. These laws and statutes were enforced with some relish by Matthew Hopkins the self-styled Witch-Finder General. He used the kings new Bible to give himself ultimate authority by decreeing "Thou shall not suffer a witch to live", as this could not be argued with. This period of history provided the inspiration for William Shakespeare to write Macbeth.

The Big Bang In Theory

James was to open the Houses of Parliament in London in on 5th of November 1605. However a group of Catholic conspirators planned to take this opportunity to assassinate James in the same manner as his father, by gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was to become the best remembered the others in the group were John Wright, Thomas Percy, Francis Tresham, Sir Everard Digby, Christopher Wright, Ambrose Rookwood, and Robert and Thomas Wintour.
Robert Catesby, Robert Keyes, John Grant and Thomas Bates.

The assassination was intended to trigger a revolt in the Midlands and seize James daughter Elizabeth ¹⁴ and proclaim her as Queen.

The plot went disastrously wrong as they were betrayed and they were all executed. James turned on the Catholics of England, he put into law, anti-Catholic statutes that were to remain in force for over 300 years¹⁵. The main act however, meant the exclusion of Catholics from any high office or position of power. Tests have shown that if the gunpowder has been detonated everyone in the hall would have been killed. The ruling elite would have been wiped out and England would have had a dramatically different future.

The Legacy Of This Period

James had developed a strong belief in the divine right of kings, God’s as appointed and anointed leader. His belief in the absolute authority of the monarchy was to be passed on to his children with catastrophic results. The Civil War, a struggle between Parliament and the monarchy was also to some extent a religious war between Protestants and Catholics. The Catholic marriage of Charles, and resulting Catholic faith of his children were to cause conflict that was only to end in England with the Stuart dynasty. The Protestant Plantations established in Ulster created during James’s reign forced Protestant landlords upon the Catholic Irish population. There had been earlier plantations around Dublin during Elizabeth I's reign, but the bloody consequences of James plantations are still with us, and have yet to end in Ireland.

North America did not at first appear to suffer in the same way, Jamestown was one of the first successful British settlements and the Protestant faith remained pre eminent in North America without the conflict as in Europe.

When James came to the throne it gave him the opportunity to pay his final homage to his mother Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth released that her death could have been considered that of a martyr. Elizabeth ordered that her body was to be sealed in a lead coffin and
enclosed in secret and without due ceremony within the walls of Fotheringhay Castle. Even artifacts Mary had left were burned at the Queens order.

A Dutiful Son

James ordered that the Mary's remains were given a Christian burial what's more he ordered she was laid to rest in an identical tomb and in in a position of equal status to that of Elizabeth, the in chapel of Westminster Abbey.

Continued - The Stewarts III. Henry, Elizabeth and Charles Stewart.