[MR] Wikipedia: James I & VI Takes the Throne

Garth Groff via Atlantia atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Thu Mar 24 02:03:59 PDT 2016


Noble Friends,

On this date in 1603, King James VI of Scotland also became James I of 
England, peacefully bringing the two often warring countries together 
under a single ruler. After all the attempts by the English to subdue 
their troublesome neighbors to the north, it was the Scots who emerged 
with all the marbles after Elizabeth I's death without issue. At least 
that's how it might seem. In reality James hated Scotland, and couldn't 
wait to get his butt on the throne in England. He moved his court south, 
and rarely visited his former home, becoming as English as he could be. 
At least he stopped most of the cross-border raids: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I . James's actual coronation 
was in July.

Note that Scotland and England were NOT one country at that time, but 
simply shared a ruler. Both continued to have their own parliaments, 
laws, coinage, and agendas. The actual merger of the two into Great 
Britain didn't happen until 1707.

So how did all this come about? For that you have to go back over 100 
years to James' great-grandparents. In 1502  James IV of Scotland ( 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_IV_of_Scotland ) married Margaret 
Tudor ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Tudor ), daughter of the 
English king Henry VII and sister of the future Henry VIII. This joining 
of the Tudor and Stuart lines would eventually lead to James VI 
inheriting the English throne. It didn't hurt that James was a staunch 
Protestant, and much more of an Anglican Protestant than a Calvinist, as 
were most Scots.

Many in the SCA considered the death of Elizabeth and the accession of 
James I to be the end of our period of interest, rather than the 
arbitrary 1600 date. In any case, James VI was a figure who lived much 
of his life in our period and is a valid subject of interest.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot


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