Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for June 19.
Today is the birthday, in 1566, of James VI of Scotland/I of England. He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots with her husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and he became King of Scotland in 1567 when his mother abdicated the throne. He would grow up never knowing his mother, of course, because she was imprisoned in England, and eventually beheaded. Upon the death of Elizabeth I he became James I of England, and moved to London, uniting both England and Scotland. He was a Protestant, and an early test of his reign would be the Gunpowder Plot where Catholics tried to blow up the opening day of Parliament. He is often remembered for authorizing a new translation of the Bible into England – the King James Version – which is almost Shakespearean in its prose and poetry.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com, where there are several episodes on James VI/I.
Links:
Tudor Times on James I
James I and Witchcraft