Who Was King James I of England & VI of Scotland

James Charles Stuart was the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Duke of Albany. James succeeded Mary to the throne after her abdication, he was only one year old, becoming King James VI of Scotland. He married Anne of Denmark, daughter of Frederick II in 1590. With the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, James was proclaimed King James I of England. James became keen to establish a permanent Union of the Crowns under one monarch, one parliament and one law, however he was opposed in both countries. In 1605, a plot to assassinate James when Guy Fawkes was foiled in his attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The Gunpowder Plot, has it became known, reinforced James' oppression of non-conforming English Catholics. In May 1606, Parliament passed an Act which required every citizen to take an Oath of Allegiance, swearing a denial of the Pope's authority over the king. He also commissioned a new translation and compilation of approved books of the Bible that confirmed the divine right of kings to rule, it became known as the King James Bible. He died on 27 March 1625 of dysentery, he was widely mourned, for all his flaws, he reigned over a period of uninterrupted peace and low taxation. However, he bequeathed to his son a fatal belief in the divine right of kings which culminated in the English Civil War and the eventual execution of Charles. He had seven children with Anne of Denmark who survived beyond birth. They included Henry, Prince of Wales; Elizabeth of Bohemia and Charles I of England.

About the Author:

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net