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This exploration of James VI and I delves into his political thought and the events shaping his reign. Key moments include the 1567 deposition of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the assassinations of significant figures such as William of Orange and Henri IV. Through seminal texts like "Basilikon Doron," James articulates the divine right of kings, asserting their authority over laws, while also advocating for the union of England and Scotland as a "perfect union." This examination highlights James's enduring impact on political discourse in early modern Britain.
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A ‘perfect union’? James VI and his three kingdoms Gabriel Glickman
Royal depositions and assassinations • 1567- deposition of Mary, Queen of Scots • 1584 – assassination of Prince William of Orange by Balthasar Gerard (French Catholic) • 1589 – assassination of Henri III by Jacques Clement (Dominican friar) • 1610 – assassination of Henri IV by Francois Ravaillac
Andrew Melville (1545-1622) ‘there are two kings and two kingdoms in Scotland: there is king James, the head of the commonwealth; and there is Christ Jesus, the king of the Church, whose subject James the Sixth is, and of whose kingdom he is not a king, not a lord, not a head, but a member’.
Political thought of James VI • “it follows of necessitie, that the Kinges were the authors & makers of the lawes, and not the laws of Kings... The King is above the law”(BasilikonDoron). • “this pernicious opinion; that Popes may tosse the French King his Throne like a tennis ball, and that killing of Kinges is an acte meritorious to the purchase of the crowne of Martyrdome”. (An Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance). • Union of England and Scotland “a perfect union, a blessed union... Reuniting of these two mightie, famous and ancient Kingdomes of England and Scotland, under one ImperiallCrowne”, speech in Westminster parliament, 1604.
Tombs of Hugh O’Neill, earl of Tyrone and Rory O’Donnell, earl of Tyrconnell, Church of San Pietro de Montorio, Rome
John Donne, Meditation, XVII (1624) “No man is an island,Entire of itself.Each is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.If a clod be washed away by the sea,Europe is the less.”