King James VI & I, the first Stuart

The first monarch to, in effect, rule over the British Isles was King James VI & I (1566-1625), though they were not yet deemed a single kingdom. Scotland’s throne accrued to him as a 1-year-old ‘James VI’ and the others he inherited in 1603, when he became ‘James I of England and Ireland’ (Wales was not named as it was integrated into England in 1536). He was the first of the House of Stuart, which ended with Queen Anne (1665-1714) and was followed by the German kings.

His mother was Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87), his father Henry Stuart (1546-67) and he was born in Edinburgh Castle. Stuart was soon murdered and Mary fled to England, so young James was raised by others. At age 10 he was formally pronounced King and at age 15 he took full control. At 20 his estranged mother was executed by the order of spinster Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) and his thoughts were too focused on remaining her (unofficially) chosen heir than to complain.

James was Protestant. He married Anne of Denmark (1574-1619) in 1589 and three of their seven children survived, including James’s successor, Charles I (1600-49). James ended the 15-year war with Spain and commissioned the Union Jack, but is most famous for the ‘KJV Bible‘.

(Images of King James as boy and man: picryl.com)