James Charles Stuart

James Charles Stuart

James Charles Stuart was born on June 19, 1566 at Edinburg Castle in Scotland. His father, Lord Darnley, was murdered in 1567 before young James was one year old. His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, subsequently ascended to the Scottish throne. Her reign, however, was short lived and she was forced to relinquish in favor of her son on July 24, 1567. Little James was crowned King James VI of Scotland five days later at the tender age of 13 months. James' mother, Mary, was imprisoned in England by her cousin Queen Elizabeth and 19 years later, in February of 1587, was executed for her part in the conspiracy to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. King James never knew his mother.

Like many monarchs of the time, King James was raised by neither his father nor his mother but rather by tutors. Of his four tutors, perhaps one of the most influential was George Buchanan, a Calvinist. It was under Mr. Buchanan's strict teaching methods that King James became one of the most intellectually curious men to ever sit on any throne. Mr. Buchanan was 64 years old when he began tutoring the young king. He learned Greek, Latin, history, composition, arithmetic cosmography, dialectics, rhetoric, and of course theology. King James spoke fluent Greek, Latin, French, English, and Scots and was schooled in Italian and Spanish. The King once remarked, that he could speak Latin before he could speak his native Scots. King James typically did not need a translator when conducting business with other heads of state. James learned well and grew into an excellent author. The Cambridge University Press notes that the King's writings were among the most important and influential British writings of their period.

King James began to rule his native Scotland when he was 19 years old. In February of 1424, a couple of years later, he took Anne of Denmark as his queen. He loved his wife and wrote beautiful poetry for her. Together they had nine children: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594-1612), Child (1595 Stillborn), Elizabeth, "The Winter Queen" (1596-1662), Margaret (1598-1600), Charles I, King of Britain (1600-1649), Robert Bruce (1602), Son (1603), Mary (1605-1607), and Sophia (1606).

King James' great aspiration to be the first King of both Scotland and England was realized in 1603 upon the death of Queen Elizabeth. When he attained the English throne he had already been king of Scotland for 36 years.