Free Essay On King James I Of England

King James I, who was ruler of England and Scotland, was born on June 19, 1556 and died on March 27, 1625. “The Life of King James I of England” explained that he was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His mother was the ruler of Scotland who was Mary Queen of Scots and his father was Lord Henry Darnley (Butler, John). He had a hard life when he was a child. His mother was thought to be involved in the murder of his father. “The Real Story of King James I” explained that King James never knew his father because his father died in an explosion when he was only eight months old (Stringer, Phil).
After his mother had been banished from Scotland, King James never saw her again. Mary Queen of Scots went to England where she was later beheaded by Queen Elizabeth. King James was raised by many different individuals, which were Scottish lords and important tutors known as George Buchanan and Peter Young. According to “The Real Story of King James I” by Dr. Phil Stringer, these tutors taught him beliefs that stayed with him throughout his life and influenced many of his actions when he was the king. He was not seen by many and lived a life of isolation until he was a teenager (Stringer). King James I was seen as a scholar at an early age because of his love for learning.
King James I became the king of England in 1603 after Queen Elizabeth died. His mother was the cousin of Queen Elizabeth. He was then officially known as King James I of England and King James VI of Scotland. Before he was crowned as the King of England, he was married to the daughter of Frederick II who was the king of Denmark. King James and Queen Anne had eight children, but only three of the children survived. King James is known for the unification of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales under his rule, which is known as Great Britain.
Throughout his lifetime, King James lived through four attempted assassinations. One of the assassination attempts was known as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (Stringer, Phil). There were so many assassination attempts against King James because he was considered accepting of different religious views, according to The Official website of The British Monarchy (royal.gov.uk). After his assignation attempts, he had to set strict policies against those who were in favor to the Catholic faith.
King James was a liked ruler among his people. Queen Elizabeth began a campaign to colonize the Atlantic coast, which was strengthened while King James ruled. The first settlement in America was named Jamestown, which was after King James (Stringer, Phil). King James also wrote many works that were in favor of the Divine Right, and because of his contribution he is known as an important writer of political philosophy (Butler, John). King James also promoted the translation of the Bible to the English language in 1611, which is now known as the King James Bible.
King James I enjoyed poetry and plays and is known for showing interest in Shakespeare and was a fan of the masque, which was the primary form of entertainment in England while he was king. During his reign, King James hired Inigo Jones to construct the current Banqueting House in Whitehall (royal.gov.uk).
King James I died in peace in 1625 in his home, but at the time of his death Great Britain was on the verge of going to war with Spain. This was because of a failed attempt to settle the on-going debate over foreign policy by Parliament in 1624. King James I was seen as a fair and good ruler.

Works Cited

Butler, John. "The Life of King James I of England." Luminarium. 22 March 2003. 15 April
2015. Web. <http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/james/jamesbio.htm>
Stringer, Phil. "The Real Story of King James I. Victory Baptist Church. n.d. 15 April
2015. Web. <http://www.psalm118.org/story_of_king_james.htm>
"The History of the Monarchy." The Official Website of the British Monarchy. n.d. 15 April
2015. Web. <http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheStuarts/JamesI.aspx>