James I

James I of England (19 June 1566 - 27 March 1625) reigned as James VI King of Scots from 1567-1625 and as James I King of England from 1603-1625.

As the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley he became King of Scots on 19 July 1567 succeeding his mother at just 13 months of age. When Elizabeth I died childless in 1603 James succeeded her on the English throne as James I of England. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 25 July 1603 becoming the first Stuart King to unite the English and the Scottish Crowns. His attempt to unite the governments, however, were not successful.

James married Anne of Denmark in 1589 and had eight children with her. Of the three children who survived infancy, his second son Charles I became his successor after the death of the eldest son Henry. The marriage of his daughter Elizabeth enabled the Hanoverian succession to the English throne.

As an arts and literature patron, under James theater productions flourished. Among the "Kings Men" troupe who performed plays for their patron was William Shakespeare himself. James was intelligent and sensitive and interested in various forms of art, writing a number of works himself. In 1597-8 he wrote ''The True Law of Free Monarchies'' in which he compared the king to a father and his subjects to his children. He also commissioned the construction of Banqueting House, Whitehall the ceiling of which shows the painting "Apotheosis of James I" by Peter Paul Rubens.

James was convinced to be the legitimate heir to the throne through the grace of God which is known as the Divine Right of Monarchs. James commissioned a new translation of the Bible known as the Authorised King James's Version. He was a tolerant King as far as religion was concerned and only imposed penalties on Roman Catholics after Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605.

Sources:

Royal British Family. 4 May 2010. [1]

The official website of The British Monarchy. 4 May 2010.[2]