Episode 318: James I

the twenty sixth of March sixteen oh three. He was ushered into the presence of King James the sixth of Scotland. Falling to his knees, he proclaimed him to be King of England, France and Ireland. He gave him as testimony a sapphire ring that his sister, Lady Scrope, had thrown to him from a window at Richmond Palace immediately after the death of Elizabeth the First. James looked upon the

ring and uttered, only it is enough. The King had previously entrusted this ring to Lady Scrope in the event of the Queen's death. Was kind of in that way a secret cipher, A body of prelates and peers back in England had already met Sir Robert Cecil, who was the principal counselor as we know of the old Queen, though he was not present yet. Cecil and these men proclaimed James as king. Bonfires and bells greeted the news

of the Swiss an easy succession. Cecil himself declared that he had quote steered King James ship into the right harbor without cross of wede or tide that could have overturned a cock quote end quote. Now, as we know, Cecil had entered into a secret correspondence with James well before Elizabeth's demise. On April the fifth, James left Edinburgh to travel to his new realm. He had now been

King of Scotland for thirty six years. Ever since he had assumed the throne at age thirteen months after the forced abdication of Mary Stuart's, Queen of Scots, he had been a successful, if not glorious monarch. He managed to curb the pretensions of what had been a very argumentative clergy and a very difficult nobility from his earliest years. The restive and combative spirit of the Scottish lords ensured that in the words of the French and Maaster. He

had been quote nourished in fear end quote. Yet through a series of intelligent compromises and by sometimes outwitting his opponents, James had held on to his crown. Now, as he told his followers, he was about to enter what he considered to be the land of promise. He had already written to the Council at Westminster asking for money, because the Scottish king did not have the funds to finance

his journey south. The joyous reception that James received from his new subjects was quite frankly, not something he expected. He was, after all, the first foreign king to rule England since William the Conqueror. More interesting, giving the long reign of his predecessors, few if any of his subjects would have experienced the rule of a male sovereign. Speaking of Elizabeth, James had no intention of attending her funeral. Truth be told, James still harbored a lot of resentment

toward the dead queen. Not only had she put his mother to death, not that James had done anything to stop it, but Elizabeth had, from his perspective, prevaricated over his right to the succession far too long. Hence, He took around a month intentionally to reach London, arriving only after Elizabeth had been laid to rest. He did fall off his horse at one point and broke his collarbone. That slowed him down a bit and had nothing to do with Elizabeth. James's reign was going to be different

from Elizabeth's, and he made that clear immediately. The reign of Elizabeth witnessed the creation of eight hundred and seven eight months total. In the first four months of James's rule, some nine hundred and six new knights were awarded with that honor. The queen had knighted those whom she considered to be of genuine merit or importance. James merely considered knighthood to be a mark of status. It was said to have knighted a piece of beef with the words

quote arise, sir, loin end quote. On another occasion, he didn't catch the name of the person that he had just knighted, so he said, quote prithee, rise up and call thyself, sir, what thou wilt end quote. Other titles could be purchased with cold hard cash. The diminution in the importance of this honor marks one of the first changes to the old tutor system that had ruled England for over a century. Those who met James the First

were not immediately impressed. He was awkward and hesitant in demeanor. His legs were slightly bowed, and he walked with an erratic gate. He also retained a broad Scottish accent throughout his reign, but he was also quite what we might say today laid back. He was quick to laugh. James didn't care at all about how he dressed. Since childhood he had been desperately afraid of assassination. As a result, he wore thick, padded doublets that might impede the progress

of a dagger, but were very stylish. On May the seventh he rode toward London, but was greeted about four miles from the city by the Lord Mayor and innumerable citizens. He lodged there for four nights before making his way to the Tower, where he stayed for several days. London was absolutely massive compared to Edinburgh, the largest city in Scotland. It was also more sophisticated, yet it was no New Eden,

no New Garden of Paradise. Even as he approached the city, the plague began its yearly visit in the streets and alleys. By the end of the summer, it had claimed the lives of thirty thousand citizens. A grand state entry had been planned for the twenty fifth of July, the day of the coronation, but the fear of infected crowds cut the ceremony short. There would be a crowning, but no state procession. Even in these early months of the rain,

conspiracies began to mount against the throne. A group of gentlemen, among them Sir Walter Raleigh, Henry Broke, and Lord Cobham, were suspected of a scheme to depose James and reply him with his cousin Arabella Stuart. Like most conspiracies, it was riven with rumor, indecision, and then premature disclosure. Raley was arrested and consigned to the tower. Two weeks later, he attempted suicide. At his subsequent trial, he was denounced by the Attorney General as a quote unquote spider of hell.

This was the end, though what we call historians, I should say, the main plot, a quote unquote byplot was also discovered, whereby the King was to be kidnapped by priest and forced to suspend the laws against Roman Catholics. It came to nothing, of course, well nothing other than the deaths of every single person who had been involved. James remained in London for a relatively low key coronation. By then he and his family left for the healthier

heir of the countryside. There James began to put together his government. His Royal Council was made up of many Scotsmen, as you might expect. However, he was careful to reward several important Englishmen as well. Sir Robert Cecil received most of the honors, which makes sense given how he effectively shepherded James into his present position. James also rewarded the powerful Howard family. He needed the support of the nobility, so it makes sense that he would heap largesse on

at least one family. Now, every Royal council is different, and each reflects the personality of its monarch. James's council was about twice as large as Elizabeth's, though James, unlike his predecessor, almost never attended its meetings. He preferred intimate meetings with one or two individuals, where his wit and generally common sense could compensate for a lack of manners.

He didn't particularly like London, not at first, blush and not ever, and always preferred to go hunting in the countryside Beyond from this vantage, James once wrote a letter to his counselors, imagining them to be quote unquote, frying in the pains of purgatory upon royal business end quote. But despite his hesitancy to engage in that frying pan, he could make quick and sudden visits to the capitol,

where his presence was deemed to be indispensable. In fact, it was once said of him that he came quote like a flash of lightning, both in going and in coming, staying there and returning end quote, on his progress from London to Edinburgh. At the beginning of his reign, the king was given a petition. It was an appeal from his Puritan subjects that became known as the Millinery Petition,

bearing the signatures of one thousand ministers of religion. In moderate terms, it suggests to the King that the sign of the Cross should be removed from the baptismal ceremony, and that the marriage ring was unnecessary. The words priest and absolution should be quote unquote corrected and the right to confirmation abolished. Other vestments were not to be urged. Now. Obviously, religion remained a major issue in England, as it was

throughout Europe in the early seventeenth century. James, unlike Elizabeth, genuinely enjoyed debating matters of doctrine. Hence it makes sense that the first important act of his reign was to bring together a small number of clerics at Hampton Court, where they could debate matters of policy and religious principle. On one side were the English bishops, generally satisfied with

the doctrines and ceremonies of the established church. They were moderate, and they were in favor of the union of church and state. They put more trust in communal worship than in private prayer. They acknowledged the role of custom, experience, and reason in spiritual matters. Perhaps the Anglican Church was not yet a fully formed faith, but they believe it served to bind together those of unclear or flexible beliefs. It also suited those who simply wanted to conform and

get along. On the other side were the Puritans, and they were much more concerned with the necessities of private prayer and conscience. They believed in the natural depravity of man unless the sinner could be redeemed by grace. They hated the practice of confession and encouraged in intensive self examination as well as self discipline. They did not wish for a sacramental priesthood, but a preaching ministry. They accepted the word of Scripture as the source of all and

I do you mean all divine truth? Men and women of a Puritan tradition were utterly obedient to God's absolute will, from which no ritual or sacrament could save them. This lent them a zeal and energy in the attempt to purify the world, or, as one Puritan theologian put it, quote, a holy violence in the performing of all duties end quote.

Sometimes they spoke out as the spirit moved them. It was said, somewhat unfairly that they loved God with all their soul and hated their neighbor with all their heart. These were not at this stage though rival creeds. They were probably better understood as opposing tendencies within the same church. And this was really the first formal confrontation that had ever taken place between the two sides. Here at Hampton

Court in the middle of winter. The proceedings of the first day, on the fourteenth of January sixteen oh four, were between the King and his major ecclesiastical subjects. James debated with his bishops those changes that have been suggested in the Millinery petition. On the second day, the Puritans were invited to attend. Johns Reynolds, the first to be called, argued that the English Church should embrace Calvinist doctrine. The

Bishop of London, Richard Bancroft, quickly intervened. He knelt down before the King and demanded that quote the ancient Canon might be remembered end quote, by which he meant that no one should be permitted to speak against the bishops. James, however, allowed discussion on specific matters to continue. In the subsequent debate,

James looked good. He was both shrewd and judicious. He didn't immediately accede to the Puritans demand for Calvinism, but he did accept their proposal for an improved translation of the Bible. This request bore incredible fruit in the King James Translation, which would be published later in the reign. The delegates then discussed the problem of providing a learned ministry and the problems of dealing with issues of private conscience.

The King was willing to secede certain matters to the Puritans in the evident belief that a middle way could somehow encourage unity within the church. Everything seemed to be proceeding without too much difficulty until Reynolds recommended that the bishops of the Realm should consult with the Presbers. At this the King God visibly upset. Presburg, which was a term for the elder minister of a Christian church, had

really bad connotations for James. The first, he had previously been outraged by the Presbyterian leaders of Scotland who never really treated him with what he felt was the appropriate respect. They, he felt, always inclined toward republicanism and even egalitarianism. One Presberg from Scotland had called James to his face quote

God's silly vassal end quote. James now turned on Reynolds and told himself and his Puritan colleagues that they seemed to be aiming at creating quote a Scottish Presbyterian which agreeth with monarchy as well as God and the devil end quote. He had no interest in doing that. In fact, he told him that he must leave it alone instantly, and James's motto from this point forward for the rest of his reign would be quote no Bishop, no King.

Two days later, James called the bishops back for further conference. Subsequently, he called back the Puritans and bluntly informed them that they needed to conform to the Book of Common Prayer issued forty five years earlier. Now, as I mentioned before, perhaps the most important accomplishment of James's entire reign was his translation of the Bible called the King James Bible,

which is still in use in many churches to this day. Yet, to suggest that James had achieved religious uniformity throughout his realm is woefully incorrect. There were at least two different churches with two different meanings. All that being said, James was positively delighted with his own performance at Hampton Court. James was in many respects a learned man. All his life. He had argued and debated with his Scottish clergy. He

positively delighted in theological controversy. To an early observer quote, he apprehends clearly, judges wisely, and has a retentive memory. End quote. The king also believed himself to be a master of the written word. James composed volumes upon volumes on tons of subjects, everything from demonology, monarchy, a really famous tract on witchcraft actually, and even went on smoking on his ascension metal. He is crowned with the laurel Reef,

a sure sign of his literary pretensions. He has written verse. In fact, in sixteen sixteen he collected all of his prose writings into a folio volume, the first British monarch ever to do so. As a result of this, James the first became known as and this was sometimes a sarcastic name. The British Solomon Parliament was set to open on March nineteenth, sixteen oh four. James decided he would ride in state through the capital four days prior. It was a large parliament eager to see the new king.

In his opening speech, James made some remarks upon the state of religion and admonished the Puritans to be content. When it became clear that the Commons were more concerned with various matters of privilege and grievance, James rebuked them quote as a father to his children end quote. This wasn't going to be a situation the comments was going to be happy with. Now. A dispute had arisen over the election for a member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire, and

the ensuing argument pitched the King against the Parliament. On April fifth, the Speaker delivered a message from James that he desired, quote as an absolute king end quote, that there might be a conference between the Commons and the judges. Now, no monarch had spoken to Parliament like that for decades. Silence and amazement followed this rather rude request, whereupon one member stood up and said, quote, the Prince's command is like a thunderbolt, his command upon our allegiance, like the

roaring of a lion to his command. There is no contradiction end quote. That was not necessarily true. In the middle of April, it was proposed that James should assume the title of King of Great Britain with the union of his kingdoms. It might have been deemed a mere formality under the circumstances, but the comments were not so easily persuaded. What exactly kind of a union here was being proposed? Economic? Constitutional? By Which laws should this new kingdom,

this new Britain be governed. Would there be a flood of Scots coming south taking all the English posts and honors. How could the common law of England be consistent with the legal traditions of Scotland, and to say nothing of Ireland. The King himself was adamant. He wrote, I am the husband, and the whole isle is my lawful wife. I am

the head and it is my body end quote. This debate lingered on into the succeeding year, with what the King called many crossings, disputations, strange questions, and nothing done. James had a vision of a united kingdom with one law, one language, and one faith. Yet the practicalities of this period made this difficult, if not impossible. The English demanded, for example, that the Scotts should be taxed at the same rate as themselves. The Scots pleaded poverty, so that

couldn't be. The Commons had already agreed that quote. Since we cannot make any laws to bind Britannia, let us precede the leaden foot. The King's enthusiasm for the project was as great as his anger against the opponents of the union. Well, if there was to be no Grand Union Parliament, then turned its attention towards the equally thorny issue of religion. Then here there were more problems. The Comments now was becoming increasingly dominated by the Puritan gentry,

and its bias became obvious immediately. The Comments put forth two bills which were both Puritan and nature. The first was against pluralist non resident clergy essentially, and by the way, this is something that people have been complaining about if you remember, going all the way back to episodes in the High Middle Ages. But a pluralist is a church official who holds more than one benefice i ea. Perish

and gets to collect the tithe from it. So the more benefices you have, the more ties you get to collect, the wealthier you become. But and here's the kicker, these absentee priests never did anything for their parishes. As I said, this has been a major complaint of reformers ever since and well before Martin Luther. The problem was most pluralists were high ranking officials in the Church of England, so

rooting them out was going to be an issue. The second bill was called a Bill for quote a Good, Godly and learned Ministry. That was code though what it really meant was we want Puritan ministers. James was totally flum mixed by all this. So to ram home the importance of the English parliamentary way of doing things, the Comments then issued a decree on June twentieth reaffirming the rights and privileges of Englishmen. Specifically, they wanted freedom from arrest,

arbitrary arrest, and freedom of speech. Kind of not in the way we think of it today. James again took a step back. He had never dealt with a parliament like this before, certainly not one so assertive, and frankly, it infuriated him. When James heard about the June twentieth decree, he resented it. He believed in the absolute right of kings, and spoiler alert, so will his son Charles. So much so, in fact, it's going to cost him his head to

get his way. On religious matters, James relied heavily on the newly installed Archbishop of Canterbury, someone who I introduced before, Richard Bancroft. Now Bancroft absolutely despised Puritans. Moreover, he was a firm supporter of the royal prerogative. What both he and James wanted was religious conformity. So in sixteen oh four he issued decrees that the Book of Common Prayer and the old thirty nine articles of Elizabeth's reign had

to be followed. And as the Archbishop of Canterbury, other than the King, he was in charge of the Church of England. So ministers either had to conform to this decree or they had to lose their positions. Though if I'm being honest in truth, I can't find a lot of evidence that this ever happened. What the decrees did do I'm talking about sort of the battling decrees, those coming from Commons and then those coming from the Church of England, which are really kind of coming from the monarchy.

What they did was ferment the first real schism in the English Churchilikins versus Puritans. It's going to take a bit for this drama to play itself out, but it's going to, and when it does, it will take the form of the English Civil War. But James had more to deal with first. You see, as you'll hear next week, a gentleman by the name of Thomas Percy, in the winter of sixteen oh four made himself a very interesting

real estate acquisition. He leased a house next to the Palace of Westminster, where Parliament met, and with the assistance of a certain guy Fox Percy, that winter got to work digging a tunnel. His plan blow up the King and Parliament more