Until 1578 Scotland was
ruled by successive regents, all staunchly Protestant and pro-English, and later by
factions capable of dominating the young king. By 1586, however, James VI had control of
his government and had concluded a military alliance with Elizabeth. He subsequently
refused to intercede on behalf of his mother, who was executed in England in 1587. In
religion, he tried to steer a middle course, allowing a Presbyterian form of church
government at the local level, but appointing bishops who represented royal authority over
the church as a whole. He was a capable administrator and made the power of the monarchy
dominant in Scotland. On the death of Elizabeth, in March 1603, James VI inherited the
crown of England as James I.
From 1601, in the last years of
Elizabeth I's life, certain English politicians, notably her
chief minister Sir Robert Cecil, maintained a secret
correspondence with James in order to prepare in advance for
a smooth succession. In March 1603, with the old Queen
clearly dying, Cecil sent James a draft proclamation of his
accession to the English throne. Elizabeth died in the early
hours of 24 March; and James was proclaimed king in London
later the same day. As James headed south, his new subjects
flocked to see him, relieved above all that the succession
had triggered neither unrest nor invasion; When he entered
London, he was mobbed. James's English coronation took place
on 25 July, with elaborate allegories provided by dramatic
poets such as Thomas Dekker and Ben Jonson, though an
outbreak of the plague restricted festivities.
James was ambitious
to build on the personal union of the crowns
of Scotland and England to establish a
permanent Union of the Crowns under one
monarch, one parliament and one law, a plan
which met opposition in both countries.
"Hath He not made us all in one island,"
James told the English parliament,
"compassed with one sea and of itself by
nature indivisible?" In April 1604, however,
the Commons refused on legal grounds his
request to be titled "King of Great
Britain". In October 1604, he assumed the
title "King of Great Britain" by
proclamation rather than statute, though Sir
Francis Bacon told him he could not use the
style in "any legal proceeding, instrument
or assurance".
In
foreign policy, James achieved more success.
Never having been at war with Spain, he
devoted his efforts to bringing the long
Armada war to an end, and in August 1604,
thanks to skilled diplomacy on the part of
Robert Cecil and Henry Howard, now earl of
Northampton, a peace treaty was signed
between the countries, which James
celebrated by hosting a great banquet.
Freedom of worship for Catholics in England
continued, however, to be a major objective
of Spanish policy, causing constant dilemmas
for James, distrusted abroad for repression
of Catholics and at home for tolerance
towards them.
During the last year of James' life, with Buckingham consolidating his control of Charles to ensure his own future, the king was often seriously ill, leaving him an increasingly peripheral figure, rarely able to visit London. In early 1625, James was plagued by severe attacks of arthritis, gout and fainting fits, and in March fell seriously ill with tertian ague and then suffered a stroke. James finally died at Theobalds House on 27 March during a violent attack of dysentery, with Buckingham at his bedside. James’s funeral, a magnificent but disorderly affair, took place on 7 May. Bishop John Williams of Lincoln preached the sermon, observing, "King Solomon died in Peace, when he had lived about sixty years...and so you know did King James".
During the last year of James' life, with Buckingham consolidating his control of Charles to ensure his own future, the king was often seriously ill, leaving him an increasingly peripheral figure, rarely able to visit London. In early 1625, James was plagued by severe attacks of arthritis, gout and fainting fits, and in March fell seriously ill with tertian ague and then suffered a stroke. James finally died at Theobalds House on 27 March during a violent attack of dysentery, with Buckingham at his bedside. James’s funeral, a magnificent but disorderly affair, took place on 7 May. Bishop John Williams of Lincoln preached the sermon, observing, "King Solomon died in Peace, when he had lived about sixty years...and so you know did King James".
