Person attributes
Who was King James I?
King James VI of Scotland and King James I of England was celebrated for eliminating years of strife in England as well as in Scotland, by maintaining peace within and outside both the kingdoms. He was also a literary enthusiast and his court consisted of some of the greatest literary figures of all times, including William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon. His political accomplishments were not much in comparison to his predecessor, Queen Elizabeth I, but whatever little he did, he made sure that his kingdoms were at peace. According to some historians, he was a success in Scotland and a partial failure in England, but some others are of belief that he enjoyed a favorable position in the both the kingdoms. Though his empires did not flourish (economically) much under him, his people lived in tranquility with no wars or battles to disrupt their lives. Also, his low taxation policy had earned the love and respect of his countrymen. James was a scholarly man and all his life he patronized arts, music and literature. His translation of Bible is considered the best by many people and also bears his name, ‘King James Bible’. He was also extremely religious and to promote his religious views he propagandized the church by publishing sermons and writing books on sovereignty and divinity. Scroll down to know more about him.
Accession & Reign
In 1576, James became the titular ruler of Scotland and gained complete control of the throne in 1581.
Under the Treaty of Berwick, he and Queen Elizabeth I of England became allies and the following year his mother, who was imprisoned, was put to death.
In 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, he was declared the King of the joint kingdom of England and Ireland. Later, He moved to London from Scotland.
His accession was however not welcomed by a group of Catholics as he was a Protestant. Their dissatisfaction kept rising and were incensed when he passed a law according which people who did not attend the Protestant church were to be charged heavy fines.
In 1605 he was attacked by a small group of Catholics in the famous ‘Gunpower Plot’ in which the conspirators had planned to blow up the House of Lords by planting barrels of gunpowder underground. However, the plan failed and many of the plotters were either killed during imprisonment or executed.
James visited Scotland in 1617, after thirteen years of accession to throne in England, even though had he had promised that he would pay regular visits. He was succeeded by his son Charles I after his death.
