Scottish History - The House of Stewart
James VI of Scotland, I of England Part 1 of 4

James VI (1567 - 1603) - Part 1

James VI of Scotland was the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots. James' father was Lord Darnley (Henry Stewart) who had been killed in a suspicious explosion, the rumour being that the explosion was caused by Mary and Lord Bothwell, whom she would later marry.

At thirteen months when Mary was forced to abdicate in favour of James, he became the King of Scotland and never saw his mother again, although at one point before her execution he did make some contact during an ill-hatched plot to restore her to the throne. While Mary was in prison she tried to send presents to James, but Elizabeth I would not let them be sent to Scotland.

He had been baptized as a Catholic because of his mother's faith but was brought up under the influence of a reformed Protestant Scotland. He was educated by a variety of tutors and was known for his great knowledge.

James later wrote and published many poems and translated French works. He wrote many books during his lifetime on such various topics as tobacco, kingship and witchcraft.

He instigated several religious changes. He declared Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Whit Sunday as holy days. Holy Communion could be given privately to the aged and sick and communion should be taken kneeling. Children at eight years old were to be confirmed and Baptism could take place at home, if necessary.

These five changes were the Five Articles of Perth. The Church of Scotland would not accept these changes but through means of bribery and blackmail, James forced through the changes. He ordered the translation of ancient Greek and Hebrew into English as the King James Version of the Bible.

During the 16th century Scotland was completely independent of England. It was hardly a united country. In thejamesvi.jpg (145241 bytes) north, the Highland clans, who spoke Gaelic had little to do with the central government in Edinburgh. The clan system was based on family ties and the people owed their allegiance to the clan chief, not the King.

The people who lived near the border were just as independent. In fact, they had more loyalty to local nobles who led their raids against the English. Only in the central Lowlands of Scotland was the King's government really in control. Even here, though, the Parliament and the courts had very little power. The government was run by the great noble families. The nobles could call men to battle not as their kinsmen like the Highlanders, but as tenants. James learned to deal with the nobles successfully and this gave him a reputation for strength and persuasiveness. He could not live up to this reputation, however, when he later became King of England.

James enjoyed riding and hunting which may be due to the fact that his legs were not strong and he sometimes needed help in walking. He had developed rickets in childhood and was not given the proper treatment. Hunting remained a passion with him all his life.

Regents of James VI of Scotland, I of England

The coronation of James was not exactly the splendid pageant one would expect. Only 7 lords showed up to see him crowned King of Scotland.

The Earl of Moray, who was a strong Protestant, was made Regent for James. However, his Regency did not last long as he was assassinated in 1570.

Three Regents followed, with James being the pawn in their struggle for power, until James began his rule in 1585 at the age of 21. Scotland had suffered from a succession of kings who had been crowned as children and the country was ruled by regents for 100 of the years between 1406 and 1587.

The second Regent was James' grandfather, the Earl of Lennox (Darnley's father). Lennox was elderly and ineffectual and was shot during a raid.

The third was the Earl of Mar who held the office for less than a year before he died, albeit of natural causes. The last Regent was the Earl of Morton who had been a ringleader in the killing of Darnley and Rissio (Mary Queen of Scot's trusted counsellor and confidant). Morton is reported to have been a "crude, uneducated thug" but his strength kept Scotland together.

He kept in favour with Elizabeth, defeated the Catholics who were trying to restore Mary and kept the Protestant ministers from taking over the government. The Earls of Argyll and Atholl opposed Morton. Morton's plan was to resign the regency and control the government from behind the scenes. During this struggle for power, the young Earl of Mar who was a Morton supporter stormed into Stirling Castle and captured the King. James was terrified. Mary had been his old guardian's son and a playmate as a child. He learned that you could trust no one.

James VI (1567 - 1603) - Part 1

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Scottish History - The House of Stewart James VI of Scotland, I of England Part 1 of 4

James VI (1567 - 1603) - Part 1

Regents of James VI of Scotland, I of England

James VI (1567 - 1603) - Part 1

Scottish History

Scotlands Kings & Queens

Scottish History - The House of Stewart
James VI of Scotland, I of England Part 1 of 4

Scotlands
Kings & Queens