James I (1603-1625)

When James I came to the throne, the period of the Stuart monarchs began. He was the son of Mary, queen of Scotland, and James succeeded her as James VI of Scotland. In 1603, when Elizabeth died, James became king of England and Scotland and his name was changed into James I.

James believed very much in his own importance as king. He also saw little value in the institution of parliament. This resulted in a rather bad relationship with the nobility from parliament. On the 5th of November in 1605, Guy Fawkes, a Catholic protester, attempted to blow up the House of Lords when the king was there. This is called the Gunpowder Plot. This moment is still commemorated in the UK on the 5th of November: Guy Fawkes’ Day, or Bonfire Night on which people light fireworks.

In 1611, the first Authorized Version of the English Bible was printed and named after the king. This translation still exists: the King James Bible.

Although James was married, there have been some doubts about the nature of his sexuality. A joke about this from that time: “Elizabeth was King, now James is Queen.” In 1625 he died from a stroke and his second son, Charles, succeeded him.