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- James was the only son of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Both Mary and Darnley were great-grandchildren of Henry VII of England through Margaret Tudor, the older sister of Henry VIII. As the eldest son and heir apparent of the monarch James automatically became Duke of Rothesay and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. His father, Henry Darnley died on 10 February 1567 when his house at Kirk o' Field, Edinburgh was destroyed by an explosion, so James then inherited his titles of Duke of Albany and Earl of Ross.
James was baptised "Charles James" or "James Charles" on 17 December 1566 in a Catholic ceremony held at Stirling Castle but history knows him simply as James. His upbringing and care was then entrusted to the Earl and Countess of Mar, "to be conserved, nursed, and upbrought" in the security of Stirling Castle.
After her third marriage, to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, Mary Queen of Scots was defeated by rebel Scottish lords and forced to abdicate in favour of James. Aged just 13-months old, he succeeded to the Scottish throne on 24 July 1567. Five days later he was anointed King of Scotland at the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, by Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney and, in accordance with the religious beliefs of most of the Scottish ruling class, James was then brought up as a member of the Protestant Church of Scotland, the Kirk. Meanwhile, Mary fled to England where she was eventually executed following Catholic plots against Elizabeth I in 1587. This left James during his minority James surrounded by a small band of great Scottish lords, from whom emerged the four successive regents, the earls of Moray, Lennox, Mar, and Morton whose treatment of him varied widely. Their regency ended officially in 1578, though James did not gain full control of his government until 1583.
Throughout his youth James showed no interest in the fairer sex. His close relationships were with unsavoury male courtiers but whether they were of a sexual nature is subject to debate. 37 year-old Frenchman Esmé Stewart, Sieur d'Aubigny, first cousin of James's father Lord Darnley, and future Duke of Lennox, was his first powerful favourite but by 1582 the Scottish nobles had forced him to leave Scotland. After the loss of Lennox, James continued to prefer male company, however, a suitable marriage was necessary to reinforce his monarchy and the choice fell on Anne of Denmark and Norway, younger daughter of Protestant Frederick II. In 1594 Anne gave birth to their first son, Prince Henry making James?s rule of Scotland a success. Altogether they had three sons and five daughters, of whom three survived infancy; Henry, Elizabeth and Charles.
When 36 year-old James at length succeeded to the English throne on the death of Elizabeth I (March 24, 1603), he was already, as he told the English Parliament, ?an old and experienced king? and one with a clearly defined theory of royal government. James hardly understood the rights or the temper of the English Parliament, and he thus came into conflict with it. He had little contact with the English middle classes, and suffered from the narrowness of his horizons. His 22-year-long reign over England was to prove almost as unfortunate for the Stuart dynasty as his years before 1603 had been fortunate. He was referred to by one writer as "the very wisest fool in Christendom."
Notable events that occurred during his reign include his ordering a new translation of the Bible which became known as the Authorised King James's Version; employing the architect Inigo Jones to build the present Banqueting House in Whitehall; the founding of Jamestown in America by the Virginia company; ordering the execution of Sir Walter Raleigh; and the sailing to America of The Pilgrim Father aboard the "Mayflower".
In his later years, James suffered increasingly from arthritis, gout and kidney stones. He also lost his teeth and drank heavily. Moreover, during these years the king succumbed to the influence of the incompetent Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset. Carr was succeeded as the king?s favourite by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who showed more ability as chief minister but who was even more hated for his arrogance and his monopoly of royal favour. In early 1625, James was plagued by severe attacks of arthritis, gout, and fainting fits, and fell seriously ill in March with tertian ague and then suffered a stroke. He died at Theobald's Palace on 27 March during a violent attack of dysentery, with Buckingham at his bedside.
James's funeral at Westminster Abbey took place on 17 May 1625; the funeral address lasted two hours. His wooden funeral effigy (of which only the body now remains measuring 5 feet 7 inches high) was displayed on a magnificent hearse designed by Inigo Jones. He was laid in the vault beneath Henry VII's monument and lies next to Henry's wife, Queen Elizabeth of York. Only a simple modern inscription, at the east end of Henry VII's tomb grille, marks his grave, as no monument was ever erected for him.
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1566 - 1625 (58 years)