[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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