Mrs. Bartlett
English IV
4/9/14
James Charles Stuart, who is formally known as King James I, was born on June 19, 1566 at Edinburg Castle in Scotland. His mother and father were Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. King James had a difficult childhood considering the fact that his mother divorced his father a short eight months after he was born. The following year, Lord Darnley was mysteriously killed in an explosion at Kirk O’ Field outside of Edinburgh. Being that it was Lord Darnley the police suspected foul play. The prime suspect in this case was James Hepburn. To make things more interesting Queen Mary and James, the prime suspect in the case, consented in marriage. People of course began to suspect the queen, the Scottish nobility rose against Mary, but her involvement is unclear. Matters were made worse when love letters, written before her divorce, were discovered between Mary and Bothwell. Bothwell was sent into exile while Mary was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle. (A+E Networks, 2014) With his father being dead, Prince James I became the King of Scotland on July 24, 1567 at the very young age of thirteen months.
His childhood and adolescence were unhappy, abnormal, and precarious. His father was murdered, and his mother was one of the people to blame for it. Although he faced many adversities in his childhood, King James did not let those difficulties dictate his future. He had various notable guardians and tutors. His education, although thorough, was weighted with strong Presbyterian and Calvinist political doctrine. James developed a genuine love of learning which matched his highly intelligent and sensitive character. (Butler, 2003) He took kind to poetry and plays. He looked highly upon Shakespeare and Jonson and was particularly fond of the masque, which would later become the leading form of the court entertainment once he takes full control of the throne. King James found love and was married to Anne of Denmark on August 20, 1589. They married twice more after that on November 23, 1589 and January 21, 1590. The two conceived eight children together, but sadly only three survived into adulthood.
James inherited the throne of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603. He was the first of the Stuart Kings of the combined crowns of England and Scotland. He ruled Scotland and King James IV and England as King James I. Being that he Queen Elizabeth had no children and he was the closest relative she had, it was only right that the two shared the same monarch. The English were not fond of multiple affairs with male courtiers and uncouth ways. However, they admired his political skills and his support of literature and arts. He was however a supporter of literature and arts. William Shakespeare was commissioned the King James Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, which remains one of the most important English translations of the Bible. (Greatsite Marketing, 2013) His religious policy consisted of asserting the supreme authority and divine right of the crown and suppressing both Puritans and Catholics who objected. Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605 produced an anti-Catholic reaction, which gave James a temporary popularity which soon dissipated.
Many people do not like to discuss the fact that King James himself engaged in many homosexual activities. Though he was married with children, many of his homosexual encounters were open and noted. The first noted encounter was in his teenage years with another teenage by the name of Esme’ Stuart, Earl of Lennox. (King James I Biography) The young king and French courtier had a very improper relationship and false allegations against Esme’ kept the two apart. It is noted that King James openly kissed Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell in the 1580s. King James did not hide the fact that relationship was in fact a sexual one. After inheriting the English thrown, he and George Villiers held an intimate