1-156-707 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

James I, King of England and Scotland, 1621. James (1566-1625) became King of Scotland in 1567 and England in 1601. The son of Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland became the first of the Stuart monarchs on the English throne when Elizabeth I died in 1601. A Protestant, his policies towards Catholics led to the Gunpowder Plot, and his belief in the absolute power of the monarchy led to increasing friction with Parliament, which would culminate in civil war in the reign of his son and successor, Charles I. Culture, particularly literature, flourished during James' reign, with the work of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Francis Bacon particularly notable, as well as the production of the King James Bible.