King James (1566-1625) ruled Scotland from 1567 and then, from 1603, became monarch in England. His fate was characterized in the "Prophecies of Nostradamus" as "life between two blocks" because of the tragic fate of the reign itself and the entire Stuart dynasty.
Relations between England and Scotland: history
Relations between England and its northern neighbor are linked by centuries of attempts at subjugation. The royal dynasty of the Stuarts, which has been at the head of Scotland since the end of the 14th century, traces its origins to an old feudal family. It was founded by the court steward of King Malcolm II, who became related to the princess, and his son Robert later became king.
All men - representatives of the dynasty - bore the name Jacob. The very first of them became king in 1406, but he spent almost his entire life in captivity, and only in 1424 were we althy Scots able to redeem him for 40 thousand pounds. Returning to his homeland, he took up the confiscation of the lands of large feudal lords and was able to subdue the clans of the mountainous regions of the country. The result of such violent political activity was his death at the hands of his own courtiers andnative uncle.
Four more descendants of the Stuarts tragically died in the fight against England, but James IV managed to intermarry with Margaret, the daughter of the English king Henry VII Tudor, which later allowed the Scottish rulers to claim the English crown.
Mary Stuart
The most tragic fate in the history of this family was prepared for Mary Stuart, the granddaughter of King James IV, who ruled Scotland in 1560-1567. It was she who became the mother of the future king of England, who was born in her marriage to Lord Henry Darnley. James VI of Scotland was born June 16, 1566 at Edinburgh Castle and was given the name James. Shortly thereafter, his father G. Darnley died in an explosion organized by conspirators in his house in Kirk-o'Field on February 10, 1567
Mary Stuart, with the help of her associates, declared herself a contender for the English throne, but was defeated. When her son James was one year old, she was taken prisoner and imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, where on July 24, 1567, she abdicated the crown in favor of her son. After 20 years, she was executed by order of Queen Elizabeth Tudor.
Ascension to the throne, regencies period
James at the age of 1 year was declared king under the name of James VI of Scotland. From childhood, when moving from one castle to another, he was accompanied by mentors, thanks to whom he received an excellent education. The boy was fluent in Latin, French and ancient Greek, composed poetry, publishing his first book anonymously at the age of 16, wrote theological andphilosophical treatises. However, his he alth was weak due to the ongoing stressful situation, until the age of 7 he hardly walked, but mostly lay and read. Ros was unfriendly and suspicious, but later his favorite pastime became deer hunting, where he could spend all the time in the saddle.
Over the years of his growing up, many regents have changed in the state: Lennox, J. Erskine, Mar, J. Douglas, Earl Morton, etc. Under the latter, Protestantism was introduced in the country. The king led his party, and supporters of M. Stewart, who was held captive by Elizabeth, formed the "Queen's Party", dreaming of returning her to the throne.
All the young years of the life of King James VI passed under religious strife and conspiracies between radical Protestants, led by Earl Angus and W. Ruthven, and Catholic conservatives, led by Earl Huntley. At the age of 12, the king was captured, but then his regent was accused of treason and executed. The "party war" ended only after the capture of Edinburgh in 1573, after which the supporters of M. Stewart swore allegiance to King James VI.
At age 13, Jacob appointed his cousin, the Catholic Esme Stewart, Lord Chancellor under the name of the Duke of Lennox, who came from France, where he left his wife and 5 children. According to some reports, the young king already had a weakness for men, and Lennox captivated him with his romantic stories about the French court. During these years, the Jesuits came to Scotland, in politics there was a gradual rapprochement with neighboring statesEurope.
Coup time
At the age of 14, the king declared himself of age and ruled with the participation of the Lord Chancellor. However, the main political forces (conservative Catholics and radical Protestants) continued to sort things out and plot. The local clergy strongly criticized the king, and in 1582 another coup took place: the Scottish Protestant lords captured James VI and forced Lennox to leave the state under threat of death. However, a year later, the king managed to escape and return to power.
Subsequent political events were associated with the name of the Earl of Arran, who led the government of Scotland, suppressing the rebellion of radical Protestants. The Black Acts were approved, which condemned Presbyterianism in the church, and a military-political alliance was concluded with Edinburgh. In 1584, Protestants returned from emigration with the assistance of England, led by Count Argus, after which King James Stuart was forced to put him at the head of a new radical government.
For all the years of his reign, the Scottish king learned to maneuver in politics, but did not forget about his own interests. This became a characteristic feature of his further political actions.
Peace with England
In 1586, a peace treaty of mutual assistance and alliance was concluded with Queen Elizabeth of England, which was necessary for the survival of the country. For this, Scotland received financial subsidies and the right to inherit the English throne. The execution of Mary Stuart, who spent all these years in captivity, became a test forstrength of relations between the two states. This measure was necessary for the peace of both countries.
The king of Scotland took this event wisely and calmly, because the union with the southern neighbor promised security to the country's borders.
For the period of the Anglo-Spanish war of 1587-1604. and repelling the invasion of the Great Armada - a flotilla of Spanish ships - the mobilization of the armed forces of Scotland was announced. The victory over the Spaniards was crushing: 60 ships were sunk, many ships were washed up on the coast because of the storm.
Marriage with Anne of Denmark
In 1589 the Scottish King James VI married Anne of Denmark, daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway. The wedding took place by proxy in Copenhagen. The queen was delayed in Oslo due to storms, and the impatient groom rode out to meet her. On November 23, the wedding took place, and the newlyweds lived together in Norway for several more months.
May 17, 1590 Anne was crowned and became Queen of Scots. She was a cheerful and charming young woman, but uneducated, spending most of her time playing with her ladies-in-waiting. Marital relations, at first warm and cordial, gradually became cool. Anna preferred to live in her residence in Greenwich, the couple rarely met and lived apart, Queen James called "his heart." Over several years of marriage, 7 children were born, three of whom survived, ensuring the future legal succession to the throne: Henry, Karl and Elizabeth.
Life at court was courtly, the queen gaveballs, loved theater, music, which caused discontent among the Protestants and the clergy, which worsened after her conversion to the Catholic faith.
Interest in theology and witchcraft
Possessing great knowledge in sciences and languages, the future King of England Jacob, after a visit to Denmark, where the "witch hunt" flared up in those years, became interested in the study of witchcraft and magic. Due to the delay in the arrival of the queen in Scotland, executions of women were carried out in the country, who were accused of obstructing the arrival of Anna.
The young monarch wrote an independent tract called "Demonology", where he spoke out against witchcraft. Moreover, he was personally present at the execution and supervised the torture to which women accused of witchcraft were subjected.
Also in Denmark, he became interested in research and visited the observatory of the astronomer Tycho Brahe on the island of Ven. Yakov even dedicated poems to him, admiring his talent and systematic high-precision observations.
Scottish Independence
Despite the rapprochement with England, King James supported his powerful friends in Scotland, but severely suppressed the protestant rebellion. He did not oppose the growth of the influence of the Presbyterians, while at the same time he supported the Puritans. In 1592, James signed an act of the Scottish Parliament to reform the church towards Presbyterianism. The last act of the struggle against the church was the campaign in 1594, together with the reformer E. Melville and the ultra-Protestants against the Catholic counts from the northern lands, which ended with their expulsion from the country and the confiscation of property and possessions.
The years of the reign of the King of Scotland were associated with constant danger and anarchic actions of noble families. Jacob dreamed of creating absolute power in his country, which was the reason for his writing in 1597-1598. two books in which he de alt with the religious foundations of the monarchy.
King James' book The True Law of Free Monarchy contains the political theory of the absolute power and divine right of kings. In accordance with this concept, the king is above all people, can establish his own laws, but must respect traditions and God. Another book, The King's Gift (Basilicon Doron), is a guide to government written for 4-year-old Prince Henry.
During these years, the issue of succession to the throne for Jacob came out on top, because Elizabeth was getting old, very ill, she had no children. In recent years, she found a favorite of the Earl of Essex, who in 1599 was declared a traitor and put under arrest. After one attempted coup in 1601, he was beheaded.
Jacob leads the Kingdom of England
In March 1603, the dying Queen of England, Elizabeth, declared the Scottish monarch her heir. After her death, the Privy Council proclaimed James Stewart King of England, France and Ireland.
First of all, upon ascending the throne, he ordered the destruction of the castle in which his mother had been imprisoned for many years. Then the body of Mary Stuart was transferred to the royal tomb of Westminster Abbey.
FirstFor a year, the king maintained a balance between the two religious camps of England - Catholics and Protestants, who gathered at a conference in Hampton Court. However, already in 1604, James I of England became an intermediary between the Anglican Church and the radical Puritans. The latter wanted to accept a new edition of the Bible, and the king not only gave his consent, but also oversaw the translation process. The book was completed by 1611 and named the "Official Version", which later became mandatory for religious ceremonies.
The next conference ended with Jacob getting angry at the representatives of militant Puritanism, after which 102 representatives of this church fled to Holland and then to America.
During these reigns, King James I of England instituted laws against Catholic conformism, to which they responded with attempts on his life. The most famous was the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when the conspirators hid barrels of gunpowder in the basement of Parliament, but they were discovered in time, and the organizer Guy Fawkes was executed.
In the desire to reconcile both religious directions, Jacob followed his motto and wanted to become a peacemaker king, for this purpose he tried to unify the laws of England and Scotland.
Relations with Europe gradually improved: in 1604 the 15-year war with Spain ended. To preserve peace, King James I of England married his daughter Elizabeth to the Elector of the Palatinate Frederick V and signed the accession to the Protestant Union.
After coming to power, the king of Englandtried to improve the financial security of his family with the permission of Parliament, but here they began to reproach him for extravagance, especially when the debt rose to 600 thousand pounds. Clarification of monetary relations with the Parliament continued for several years.
Villiers Board
In 1612, his treasurer and devoted secretary, R. Cecil, died, and a representative of the Howard family took his place. During the years of their omnipotence, the debt of the king increased greatly, and the whole country was shocked by loud scandals. In 1618, this position was taken by J. Villiers, who later became Jacob's new favorite. Within a few years, he advanced in his career, received the title of Duke of Buckingham (1623) and became almost complete master of England.
In the same years, Jacob had a conflict with parliament, which he then dissolved in 1614 and continued to rule without him until 1621.
In 1620, England was drawn into the war, when Elector Frederick, together with his wife, the daughter of Jacob, was in exile. In 1624, with the participation of the Duke of Buckingham, the convened parliament voted for war with Spain. Money was collected for a military expedition, but it all ended in defeat.
In March 1625, the King of England, James the First, died at the age of 57, and his son Charles ascended the English throne, who almost immediately married a French princess. After 24 years of rule, in 1649, he was overthrown during the English bourgeois revolution and executed.
The role of James I in the unification of states
English King James I became the first monarch whoruled over two states in the British Isles at once. Before him, England and Scotland existed separately as sovereign powers.
By attracting representatives of the middle class, the king was able to completely get rid of aristocratic coups and aspirations for power and ensured a unified government in the state. Thanks to his encouragement of trade and production, industry appeared in Scotland (weaving, sugar and glass production, coal mining, etc.). During the reign of James I was able to maintain peace in the country and maintained it for 40 years; internecine conflicts and duels were banned, a judicial reform was carried out, which had a beneficial effect on the development of the state.
