Who is King James I?

King James I of England

England's King James I was born in 1566 in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland as the only son of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots and her second husband Henry Stewart. He became king of Scotland at the age of one when his mother was defeated by Scottish rebels and she abdicated the throne to him. His mother was eventually executed by England's Queen Elizabeth in 1587. James was very well educated and married Anne, the daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark in 1589. In 1594 Anne gave birth to the royal couple's first child, Prince Henry.

When England's Queen Elizabeth died after an astonishing 44 year reign without any children to leave the throne to, James was tapped to become the new king. He was welcomed by the public because he was male, which represented a return to the normal order of things, he spoke English (though with a Scottish accent), he had a pretty Danish wife with many children and one on the way, and as the son of Mary Queen of Scots might be more sympathetic to the plight of the Catholics in England.

James' rule was truly notable for three things (aside from the infamous Gunpowder Plot): the Bible that bears his name, his fight against Parliament, and the execution of Sir Walter Raleigh.

In 1604 James ordered a new translation of the Bible into English be written. While not the first ever English translation, it was reputed to be both a better translation and was noted for its flowing language and prose rhythm. English translated Bibles were revolutionary because it broke the Catholic Latin mold and allowed common folk access to a Bible in their own native language. The King James version quickly because the standard for English-speaking Protestants and is still in heavy use today.

As for Parliament, they began to assert themselves more firmly against the royal house and demanded more power to shape policy. This happened in conjunction with Charles and Anne's lavish lifestyles and James' propensity toward granting peerage to his favorites. In four years of peace James very nearly double the debt that Elizabeth left behind. Unfortunately for James, the royal monies were controlled by Parliament and they refused to grant his request for a special fund for the family's extravagances. James retaliated by setting new duties on merchants, and got the courts to proclaim his actions as law. This feud with Parliament carried into his son's, King Charles I, reign and ultimately resulted in the gradual weakening of the monarchy in favor of the Parliament.

As for Sir Walter Raleigh, he had been a great favorite of Queen Elizabeth but quickly fell out of favor when she learned he'd married in secret one of her maids of honor. Raleigh and his wife Bess were briefly imprisoned by the Queen in the Tower of London. Upon his release he declared that he'd find the legendary El Dorado to win back the favor of the Queen. These expeditions greatly angered the Spanish as he was poaching on their colonized lands. Elizabeth died and the angry Spanish complained fiercely to the new King James. Raleigh was charged with treason and was due to be executed but was instead imprisoned in the Tower again. Upon his release and without royal permission he raided and plundered some Spanish territories. James re-arrested him when he returned with nothing to show and reinstated the original charges of treason and Raleigh was executed in 1618.

Sources: Britannica.com and Antonia Fraser and Biography.com
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