James I of England
James VI of Scotland and I of England united the two crowns in a single person and wrote at length on the divine right of kings. Born in Edinburgh in 1566, he was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, who was murdered when James was eight months old. His mother was forced to abdicate the following year and he became king at thirteen months, never seeing her again; she was executed in England in 1587. He was raised by regents and by rigorous Presbyterian tutors, notably George Buchanan, and became one of the most learned monarchs in Europe. He was repeatedly seized by rival noble factions as a child. He governed Scotland effectively from the 1580s, curbing the great lords and asserting royal authority over the kirk, and wrote The True Law of Free Monarchies and Basilikon Doron setting out his theory that kings answer to God alone. He succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603, styling himself King of Great Britain, though the parliamentary union he wanted was refused. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 attempted to blow up king and parliament. He commissioned the Authorised Version of the Bible, published in 1611 and the most influential book in English. He pursued peace, ending the long war with Spain in 1604, and tried to marry his son to a Spanish princess — the Spanish Match — which was deeply unpopular and failed. He quarrelled with parliaments over money and prerogative, ruled without one for long stretches, and relied on favourites, notably George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. He wrote against tobacco and on witchcraft. He died in 1625.
- Lived: 1566 CE – 1625 CE
- Nationality: Scottish
- Roles: king, head_of_state
