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| Portrait by John de Critz (1604) |
Birth name: James Charles Stuart
Gaelic name: Seumas Teàrlach Stiùbhart
Born: 19 June 1566, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Kingdom of Scotland
Father: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Mother: Queen Mary I of Scotland
House: Stuart
Nationality: Scottish
Religion: Protestantism
Claim: Descendant of Henry VII
Reign: 24 March 1603 - 27 March 1625 (22 years)
Coronation: 25 July 1603
Predecessor: N/A
Successor: Charles I
Died: 27 March 1625 (aged 58), Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, Kingdom of England
Cause: Dysentery
Burial: Westminster Abbey
Motto: Blessed are the peacemakers
Spouse(s):
- Princess Anne of Denmark (m. 1589 - 1619)
Children:
- With Princess Anne of Denmark
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1590 - 1590)
- Henry, Prince of Wales (1594 - 1612)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1595 - 1595)
- Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia then Electress of the Palatinate (1596 - 1662)
- Princess Margaret (1598 - 1600)
- King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland (1600 - 1649)
- Prince Robert, Duke of Kintyre (1602 - 1602)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1603 - 1603)
- Princess Mary (1605 - 1607)
- Princess Sophia (1606 - 1606)
Appearance:
James was described as being of average height, though with notably weak legs that caused some slight difficulty in walking, which was possibly the result of rickets. He possessed large eyes and dark brown hair that turned white as he aged, with facial hair that was often styled into a moustache and small beard. James was also noted to have had a large tongue, which caused him to be a messy eater.
However, James' physical appearance was often marred by his dislike of bathing, and he was notoriously dirty, with muck caked onto his skin. His skin was also heavily flushed, likely as a result of his addiction to alcohol. As he aged, he also lost the majority of his teeth.
Character:
Most infamous for his scholarly pursuits, James was incredibly intelligent and studious throughout his life. He had a particular interest in religion and the occult, writing and publishing many of his own books on the topics, including his own English translation and version of the Bible. He took a personal interest in witch-hunts, and studied them closely, before eventually coming to doubt the validity of their existence.
He also grew to despise tobacco, and viewed it as an insult to God to use it.
James was also notorious for his male favourites at court, and was most likely bisexual due to his affairs with both men and women. Though he did love his wife to some degree, he was not loyal to her, and the two of them would come to have an increasingly rocky relationship, especially regarding the upbringing of their children. James could be very emotional, which caused him to increasingly rely on his male favourites, as well as become addicted to alcohol and spending money.
Due to many tragic events that occurred in his life, as well as the many assassination attempts he faced, James was a deeply traumatised individual and was noted to be highly paranoid. This also caused him to be very irritable, and it's possible that he suffered from some sort of anxiety disorder.
James was also arrogant, loved to show-off, and was a firm believer in absolute monarchy.
He was committed to Protestantism, and equally hated and distrusted Catholics and Puritans alike.
Biography:
James was born in 1566 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the only child of his mother, Queen Mary I of Scotland, and his father, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. From both of his parents, James was also the great-grandchild of King Henry VII of England. Unfortunately for James, he was born during the height of a chaotic period in Scottish politics and religious identity.
Growing up, the marriage between his parents was incredibly tumultuous. His mother was also very unpopular as the Queen of Scotland, and was notorious for her erratic behaviour, which may have been the result of porphyria or bipolar disorder. When he was just 1 years old, his father would be murdered, and his mother would go on to marry the prime suspect, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. This made his mother even more unpopular with the people of Scotland.
In 1567, a Protestant rebellion would break out within Scotland, and Queen Mary was arrested and forced to abdicate her throne. After this incident, James would never see his mother again. However, as a result of her abdication, James became King James VI of Scotland, aged just 1 years old. Like his mother before him, James was now king despite being just an infant, so a regent was appointed to rule until he was old enough to assume control of the kingdom in his own right. This regent would be his uncle, James Stewart, Earl of Moray.
With his mother imprisoned, James would mainly grow up in the care of the Earl and Countess of Mar, and despite being baptised as Catholic (the religion of his mother), James would be brought up Protestant. He received an excellent education, though was reported to have been beaten a lot by his tutor.
In 1568, his mother escaped from prison and attempted to re-take the throne, which would cause even further chaos and violence within Scotland. However, Mary's forces were defeated, and she was once again forced to flee, this time to the Kingdom of England, where she sought the help of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. But Elizabeth would also arrest her and keep her imprisoned.
By 1579, James was deemed old enough to rule in his own right. Around this time, it's possible that James began a secret relationship with his male favourite, and distant cousin, Esmé Stewart. Rumours circulated the Scottish court that Stewart was leading the king astray, and that the two of them were sleeping together. Protestant nobles within Scotland then imprisoned the king, and Stewart was exiled. While he was imprisoned, James was scolded and bullied by his Chaplin so badly that he was reduced to tears.
Luckily, James managed to escape in 1583, and began to increase his power and control over the kingdom. There were a few attempts on his life during this period, and many of his enemies and people who he owed money to would be murdered. However, this only served to make his subjects increasingly suspicious of him.
In 1586, James signed the Treaty of Berwick with England, in which he was recognised as the heir to the throne of England. Queen Elizabeth was growing old, and had never married or produced any children, nor did it look like she was going to. As a descendant of the oldest surviving daughter of King Henry VII of England, Princess Margaret, and due to the fact he was Protestant, James was next in line to inherit the throne of England.
Originally, his mother had technically been the heir, and there were even many plots by Catholics to depose Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne instead, but these all resulted in failure. These plots caused Elizabeth to finally sentence his mother to death in 1587, and Mary would die slowly and painfully in a botched execution. Though there was not much love lost between James and his mother, who he barely knew, he did take offence to her execution, and could not understand how Elizabeth could have done such a thing to a fellow royal and family member.
Regardless, James did little to protest in order to secure himself as the English throne's heir. He even pledged to help Elizabeth during the Spanish Armada invasion plot. Both James and Elizabeth became close allies, and came to regard themselves as mother and son. This alliance would also serve to help further merge the politics of both England and Scotland in preparation for the future unification of their crowns.
During this period, a suitable wife was being sought out for James, especially to secure further Protestant alliances. It was decided that the best candidate would be Princess Anne of Denmark, the daughter of the King of Denmark, who would come to fall in love with him from afar. In 1589, Anne began her journey to Scotland, but her ship was halted by bad stormy weather. Upon hearing this, James assembled his own fleet to retrieve her himself, and the two of them officially married later that year before returning to Scotland together.
Anne fell deeply in love with James, and he appeared to return her affection at first, though his feelings probably never matched her own for him. The two of them would go on to have seven children together, though only three of them would survive into adulthood. But their relationship would further turn sour during their later years of married life. James continued to have affairs with both men and women, and it's possible that Anne also had affairs. Anne also desired to play an active role in their children's upbringing, but James prevented her from doing so, and the royal children were placed in the care of other nobles. This would cause frequent arguments between the couple. Their rows would cause Anne to miscarry pregnancies. Also while pregnant, Anne would go on hunger strike and refuse to get out of bed when James dismissed some of her ladies-in-waiting. At one point, Anne even shot and killed James' favourite pet dog.
Shortly after his marriage to Anne is when James began to develop an interest in witches and demonology, especially after a visit to Denmark, where frequent witch-hunts were occurring. He would even write and publish his own book on the subject in 1597, as well as personally watch the torture of various women who were suspected of witchcraft. His views also caused him to be suspicious of the people living in the Highlands and Hebrides, who he viewed as uncivilised, and authorised the colonisation of the areas. The Gaelic language became tied to them and their uncivilised nature, and so efforts were made to ban it.
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England finally passed away, meaning that James now also became King James I of England. The crowns of England and Scotland united, and James quickly left for London as soon as he heard the news. Since England also claimed sovereignty over Ireland, it also made him the King of Ireland as well. The people of England were curious about their new king, and huge crowds had gathered in London to try and catch a glimpse of him, which resulted in James being mobbed upon his entrance to the city.
James was keen to fully unite both England and Scotland, including the use of only one Parliament for the whole of Great Britain, which was not met with popular support from both English and Scottish politicians. He attempted to have himself styled the King of Great Britain, however, this was never granted in any formal capacity. His goals of unity extended to ones of peace, and he finally brought an end to the Anglo-Spanish War that had been raging for years. However, the treatment of Catholics within Great Britain would remain a serious point of contention.
As a result, the harsh treatment of Catholics in Britain would ultimately result in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of Catholic terrorists plotted the death of the king and leading nobles and politicians within England by blowing up the Houses of Parliament while they were in session. Luckily, the plot was thwarted when Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators, was discovered with barrels of gunpowder underneath the building, and he was promptly arrested. Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were brutally executed for treason, and the foiling of the plot was greatly celebrated throughout the country. It was hailed as a victory for Protestantism, but also further fuelled hatred and distrust towards Catholics.
Unfortunately for James, tragedy would strike just a few years later when his eldest son and heir, Prince Henry died of typhoid fever. This now meant that James' weak and sickly second son, Prince Charles, was the heir to the throne. Though James was devastated by his son's death, he refused to attend the funeral due to his dislike of them. Charles became the new Prince of Wales a few years later, around the same time that his wife, Anne of Denmark, also passed away.
Meanwhile, James continued his many affairs with male courtiers, with his particular favourite being George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. The king even had a secret passage installed between their chambers, and it was well known that the two of them frequently slept together. The power struggles between his male favourites would cause various scandals, and lead to the imprisonment of those who had fallen out of James' favour as they were pitted against each other. All of this only served to decrease James' popularity, and his court was viewed as one of corruption and debauchery.
By the later years of his life, James had undisputedly become an alcoholic, and began suffering serious bouts of ill health, in particular suffering from gout and kidney stones. He would also frequently faint, contracted malaria, and suffered a stroke in 1625.
To further worsen James' circumstances, he also contracted dysentery not long afterwards, and this was what would finally kill him. James died in 1625 with Buckingham by his side until the very end.
Rule:
For the most part, James enjoyed a high degree of popularity, and his reign was notably focused on peaceful resolutions. He did not favour war at all, and always attempted to avoid it wherever he could, preferring diplomatic solutions. This also created lower rates of taxation, which is always going to be popular with subjects.
However, James' government was prone to chaos, especially due to his favouritism, and he did not show much interest or patience for any official affairs of state. Instead, James tended to focus more on religious matters, taking a keen interest in witch trials, and personally overseeing their investigations. Numerous people in Britain would die as a result of these policies, and James' own writings spread fear and hysteria in Protestants throughout the kingdoms.
As a result, Catholics faced harsher persecution, which would come to a head in the Gunpowder Plot which would be organised by Catholic terrorists. Though James was able to spin the situation to make it appear that God was on the side of Protestantism, it did highlight the large degree of religious division that remained. Furthermore, the plot only served to increase persecution among the Catholic population, making James' reign a very paranoid point in history.
Colonisation also saw rapid expansion in James' reign, with more and more territory in the Americas being seized by the British, ultimately resulting in the genocide of the native population. Many Native Americans around the colony of Jamestown were forcibly converted to Christianity, including the famous case of Pocahontas, who was brought to England as an example of the 'civilised savage'.
James very much believed in the divine right of kings, a view which he firmly installed in his eldest surviving son and heir, the future King Charles I. He often treated Parliament with contempt, and hated having to govern alongside them. This would ultimately lay the groundwork for the brutal and bloody civil war that was to come.
Throughout his reign, James attempted many times to more fully unite the kingdoms of England and Scotland, including the use of only one shared Parliament. He desired to be recognised as the King of Great Britain, however, cultural differences continued to prevent these plans from being realised. Nonetheless, it did plant the seeds, and the kingdoms would finally be united by his great-granddaughter, Queen Anne. James is regarded as the beginning of the unification process of England and Scotland into what would eventually become known as the United Kingdom.
Trivia:
- The colonial town of 'Jamestown' in Virginia in the present day United States of America was named in his honour.
- James was one of the first notable anti-smoking campaigners in Europe.
Quotes:
"I will make them conform themselves, or else I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse."
Regarding his hatred for Puritans.
"A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless."
Ranting about tobacco.
"The state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth: for kings are not only God's lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God's throne, but even by God himself they are called gods."
Talking about the divine right of kings.
Timeline of Reign:
| 1603: King of Scotland, England and Ireland - The thrones of the British Isles unite under James.
| 1603: Bye Plot - Catholics and Puritans fail to kidnap the new king.
| 1603: Main Plot - Catholic plot to deposed James ends in failure.
| 1604: Anglo-Spanish War ends - Peace is declared between England and Spain.
| 1605: Gunpowder Plot - Catholic terrorist plot to blow up Houses of Parliament ends in failure.
| 1606: Popish Recusants Act - British people forced to swear an oath against the Pope.
| 1607: Jamestown founded - English colonists establish Jamestown in Virginia colony.
| 1607: Flight of the Earls - Irish Gaelic nobles forced to flee further west into Ireland.
| 1610: The Great Contract fails - James refuses to relinquish more royal control for debt support.
| 1610: Parliament dismissed - James dismisses Parliament.
| 1611: King James Bible published - More coherent English translation of the Bible published.
| 1611: Increased trading posts in Indonesia - Britain establishes more trading posts in Indonesia.
| 1612: Pendle Witch Trials - Height of witch-hunts in Lancashire.
| 1614: Addled Parliament - James dismisses Parliament after just 9 weeks of being in session.
| 1617: Matoax (Pocahontas) visits James' court - Pocahontas presented as a 'civilised savage'.
| 1620: Massachusetts colonised - Brownist pilgrims begin colonising Massachusetts.
| 1620: Anglo-Dutch commercial agreement - England and the Netherlands agree to share spice trade.
| 1622: Jamestown Massacre - 347 Jamestown colonists killed by Algonquians.
Sources & Further Reading:
A brief history of James VI and I. (2024). National Museums Scotland. https://www.nms.ac.uk/discover-catalogue/a-brief-history-of-james-vi-and-i
James I and Anne of Denmark. (n.d.). Historic Royal Palaces. https://www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house/history-and-stories/james-i-and-anne-of-denmark/
James I & James VI. (n.d.). The National Archives. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/james-i/
James VI and I: A life and reign in 10 parties | National Library of Scotland. (2025). In National Library of Scotland. https://www.nls.uk/collections/stories/scottish-history/james-vi-and-i-a-life-and-reign-in-10-parties/
John de Critz - James VI and I, 1566 - 1625. King of Scotland 1567 - 1625. King of England and Ireland 1603 - 1625 - PG 561 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2023). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_de_Critz_-_James_VI_and_I,_1566_-_1625._King_of_Scotland_1567_-_1625._King_of_England_and_Ireland_1603_-_1625_-_PG_561_-_National_Galleries_of_Scotland.jpg
Mathew, D. (2018). James I | Biography, Religion, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-I-king-of-England-and-Scotland
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