James then underwent a strict upbringing by tutors, a childhood which made him one of the more intellectual monarchs of the time. He began the actual task of ruling Scotland at the age of 19. A child of the Reformation (his mother had converted in order to rule), James was a devout Protestant and a faithful believer in the Divine Right of Kings (belief that Kings were chosen/blessed by God). He even went so far as to write a book on this, titled Basilicon Doron, which when translated means "The Kingly Gift".

Seeing as he suffered from many physical ailments (leading to the theory that he was afflicted with congenital diseases of the nervous system) and that he narrowly escaped several assassination attempts, James' reign was not expected to last very long. He was able to defy the odds though, taking a wife (Anne of Denmark), fathering several children, and leading Scotland through one of its longest periods of peace up till that time. Then, after 36 years of rule, he achieved his lifelong ambition of becoming ruler of England as well as Scotland. Upon the death of England's Elizabeth I in 1603, whom he was related to through his mother, James was crowned James I of England, while at the same time maintaining his status as King James VI of Scotland.

James had become the first king to rule Scotland, England, and Ireland at the same time, a kingdom which he referred to as "Great Britain." It was also under his reign that the first successful colonies were established on the North American mainland, including Nova Scotia (New Scotland in Latin), Massachusetts, and Virginia. In addition, he was responsible for founding the University of Edinburgh, and was a great fan and advocate of the theatre, and was reported to have had a personal relationship with playwrite William Shakespeare. It is even believed that "Macbeth" was written specifically for him.

Four hundred years ago James changed the Scottish calendar from the Celtic to the Roman Julian Calendar. Samhain was celebrated as the Scottish New Year for the last time in 1599, before being converted in 1600.

What makes these achievements even more significant is the fact that while they were being performed, James was faced with constant pressure and criticism from the English Lords and Ladies who were quite unhappy at being ruled by a Scotsman (although the fact that he replaced most of them with his own Scottish countrymen might have been a contributing factor as well).

While James' influence in other areas were by no means insignificant, his most lasting contribution was a religious one. At a conference he called in 1604, an attendee requested that a new translation of the Bible be commissioned, under the belief that those commissioned under Henry the VIII and Edward the VI were corrupt and incorrect. James concurred and shortly afterwards commissioned a team of over 50 linguists and translators to perform the task. Their finished product, the King James or Authorized Version of the Bible, had a great impact, becoming the most widely used version in England and having a huge influence on the subsequent development of English literature.

Despite the many things he did which are considered "good" by most standards, James nonetheless committed some rather unpleasant deeds. Many historical accounts suggest that James' physical ailments also effected his psychological health, that the extreme pain caused by his afflictions sometimes drove him into a state of delirium. His reign, while being a relatively peaceful and progressive one, was not exactly a time characterized by tolerance and rationality. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Elizabeth, James upheld and enforced her laws against witches. He even passed laws much stricter than those set forth by Elizabeth.

James was obsessed by witchcraft and wrote a book on it called Daemonology which had considerable impact. It is estimated that as a result of of his witchhunting obsession, approximately one thousand people were tried and executed as witches in Scotland, James even directed many of the trials himself. Apparently having been somewhat paranoid, there were at least two occasions when James believed that witches posed a personal danger to him.

The first was in 1590, when he suspected that a coven of witches were planning to kill him and overthrow the Scottish throne. In the second instance, he blamed another supposed witches' coven for a storm which prevented he and his wife from leaving Denmark. Not content with merely starting a witch hunt and presiding over several trials, James even took part personally in several interrogation and torture sessions of suspected witches.

Historians are somewhat divided in their opinions of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. Some are heavily critical and believe him to have been a ruthless monster, while others see him as a misunderstood and unfairly judged figure. Regardless of which description really fit him best, there is no doubt that James was one of the most important rulers in western history and the most influential of the Stuart Kings. James died on March 27, 1625 at Theobolds Park in Herts, England at the age of 59. He is buried at Westminster Abbey.

Stephen Butters, October, 1999