James VI and I: Ideas, Authority, and Government

by Houlbrooke,Ralph

• ISBN13: 9780754654100
• ISBN10: 0754654109
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-11-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

James VI and I pursued various highly distinctive policies. He also, to an extent exceptional among monarchs, expressed his ideas and aspirations by means of print, pen, and spoken word. The essays in this volume explore four main themes of particular concern to James: the union of England and Scotland; the government of Scotland; religious unity; and James's involvement in culture as both author and patron. They throw fresh light on the ways in which James communicated his ideas and designs to his subjects, and important foreign audiences, raising important questions about his judgement and skill as a monarch.James VI and I was the first king to rule both England and Scotland. He was unique among British monarchs in his determination to communicate his ideas by means of print, pen, and spoken word. James's own work as an author is one of the themes of this volume. One essay also sheds new light on his role as a patron and protector of plays and players. A second theme is the king's response to the problems posed by religious divisions in the British Isles and Europe as a whole. Various contributors to this collection elucidate James's own religious beliefs and their expression, his efforts before 1603 to counter a potential Catholic claim to the English throne, his attempted appropriation of scripture in support of his own authority, and his distinctive vision of imperial kingship in Britain. Some different reactions to the king, to his expression of his ideas and to the implementation of his policies form this book's third theme. They include the vigorous resistance to his attempt to change Scottish religious practice, and the sharply contrasting assessments of his life and reign written after James's death.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Battle of Lepanto: the introduction of James VI of Scotland to the Dutch

James VI and the English succession

The philosophy of imperial kingship and the interpretation of James VI and I

King James and the Hampton Court conference

The business of playing and the patronage of players at the Jacobean courts

Presenting James VI and I to the public: preaching on political anniversaries at Paul's cross

James I and Protestant heresy

The word of God and the word of the king: the scriptural exegeses of James VI and I and the King James bible

'Brothers in treuth': propaganda, public opinion and the Perth articles debate in Scotland

James's reputation, 1625-2005

Index

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