Person    | Male  Born 19/6/1566  Died 27/3/1625

King James I

Categories: Royalty

Countries: Scotland

Born Edinburgh Castle, son of Mary Queen of Scots. By the age of 13 months his father, Darnley had been murdered and his mother forced to abdicate, making him King James VI of Scotland. He had been educated to rule as a monarch with limited power and his Protestant advisors attempted to use him as a puppet king but his Catholic friends worried them so the advisors (possibly encouraged by Elizabeth) imprisoned their king. He escaped, took his country back and decided to rule as absolute monarch, answerable only to God. When Elizabeth sentenced Mary to death James did not plead for his mother’s life too strongly. Even after Mary's execution Elizabeth did not officially recognise James as her successor. At this point you could say that the unicorn of Scotland had been tamed by the English virgin, if you were feeling poetic.

As king of Scotland, James was clever enough to marry and produce an heir and spare, which Elizabeth failed to do. Eventually Elizabeth died and James was invited to take the English throne. He travelled to London with a large entourage and all the pomp he could muster. His vision of Scotland and England uniting as two equal countries into one Great Britain seemed about to come true. However James believed passionately in the divine right of Kings and refused to compromise with the English statesmen. To them London seemed full of powerful Scottish Protestants throwing their weight around. A group including Guy Fawkes decide to do something about it. Ethnic cleansing was their solution - kill off all the Scots in London, starting with the king himself in what became known as the Gunpowder Plot (failed). James had the Union Flag designed but the troubles between Scotland and England were far from over. He commissioned The King James Bible, printed in English in 1611 (but see Queen James Bible where we learn that "King James I was a well-known bisexual").  Died at Theobalds House, Cheshunt.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
King James I

Commemorated ati

Holland House - blue

Holland House was built in 1605 for Sir Walter Cope, a courtier of King James...

Read More

New River mosaic

This mosaic mural is quite a success, with the pair of compasses disgorging t...

Read More

Phineas Pett - Woolwich Town Hall

{Beneath the portrait:} Phineas Pett {Above the portrait:} 1570  1647 {On ...

Read More

Plumber's Apprentice statue

This 7 foot statue was unveiled to mark the completion of the Cannon Street S...

Read More

Stuart House - James I arrives in London

{Inscribed in the bottom left corner:} Kremer 1875

Read More

Show all 7

Other Subjects

Silver Wedding of Queen & Prince Philip

Silver Wedding of Queen & Prince Philip

At the time of their wedding Philip's title was Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, not Prince, and the Queen was still Princess Elizabeth. If their family names had not been Anglicised earlier ...

Event, Royalty

2 memorials
Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon

First wife of Henry VIII and married to him for longer (1509 - 1533) than the other five put together. Unlike them she was a powerful royal in her own right. Daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, bor...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous, Spain

4 memorials
Diana Princess of Wales

Diana Princess of Wales

Born Lady Diana Frances Spencer in Norfolk. Married the Prince of Wales at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 29 July 1981, divorced 28 August 1996. Died in a car crash in Paris with Dodi Fayed. Abov...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous, France

11 memorials
90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II

90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II was actually born on 21 April 1926, but since 1959 official celebrations have taken place on the second Saturday of June which in 2016 was the 11th.

Event, Royalty, Tourism / Traditions

1 memorial
Charlton House

Charlton House

Regarded as the best-preserved Jacobean house in Greater London. It was built by the crown to house Sir Adam Newton and his royal charge, Prince Henry, the son of King James I. The interior feature...

Building, Property, Royalty

1 memorial