James VI and I

Reign: 1603 – 1625
Life: 1566–1625

Though he long attempted to get both countries to adopt a closer political union, the kingdoms of Scotland and England remained sovereign states ruled by James in personal union, with their own parliaments, judiciaries and laws. He acceded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother was forced to abdicate. Although his mother was a Catholic, James was raised as a Protestant. Three of their children survived to adulthood: Henry Frederick, Elizabeth, and Charles. In 1603, James succeeded his cousin Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, who had died childless. He reigned in all three kingdoms for 22 years, a period known as the Jacobean era, until he died in 1625.

During James VI and I's reign, Jahangir I ruled Mughal Empire, Ahmed I ruled Ottoman Empire, and James VI and I ruled Scotland.

Further reading: James VI and I by Jenny Wormald

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