The New Student's Reference Work/James I

James I of England and VI of Scotland, the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry, Lord Darnley, was born in Edinburgh, June 19, 1566. When his mother was forced to resign the crown, James was proclaimed king of Scotland, July 29, 1567. The training of his childhood was under the care of the earl of Mar. His tutor was the famous scholar, George Buchanan. In 1578 the earl of Morton, then regent, was driven from power, and James assumed full control. The new government was unpopular, and Morton was once more made regent. He was at length condemned and executed as one of the murderers of Lord Darnley. In the winter of 1589 James went to Denmark, where he married Princess Anne, daughter of King Frederick II. By the death of Elizabeth in 1603 James succeeded to the throne of England. He soon became unpopular with his new subjects. The anger of the Roman Catholics toward him, because of his severities, led to the famous Gunpowder Plot. He really governed through his favorites, Kerr and Buckingham, both of them unpopular; and England’s prestige as a power, which had been gained under Elizabeth, soon disappeared. He has been described as two men in one — “a witty, well-read scholar, who wrote, disputed and harangued, and a nervous, driveling idiot who acted.” He was called by Henry IV of France “the wisest fool in Christendom.” James died on March 27, 1625. See Macaulay’s, S. R. Gardiner’s and Ranke’s histories; also Goodman’s Court of James I and Scott’s The Fortunes of Nigel.