A+SCOTTISH+KING+FOR+ENGLAND

James IV of Scotland (1488−1513) married the daughter of Henry VII of England, the first of the Tudor monarchs, thereby linking the two royal families through ‘the Marriage of the Thistle and the Rose’. But this didn’t prevent the French from persuading James to go to war against England, when Margarated’s brother, Henry VIII, went to war against Scotland ally France. James IV was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, along with 10, 000 of his subjects.
 * JAMES I: A SCOTTISH KING FOR ENGLAND **

James IV, had a daugher, Mary Stuart, who was only six days when her father died at the battle. She was sent to France and the country was ruled by regents. In France, she married the French dauphin and became queen of France in 1559, and was widowed the next year.

While Mary was in France, being raised as a Roman Catholic, the Reformation tore through Scotland. People thought that the wealthy Catholic Church was corrupted, and the preachings of John Knox, a pupil of the Swiss reformer Calvin, found sympathetic ears. Following the death of her husband, Mary returned to Scotland in in 1561. She was formally welcomed to her capital city but, though she was the Queen of Scotland, her position as the dominant figure there was not as obvious being that she was Catholic. Moreover, the regents wanted to keep the power for themselves. She held a famous audience at Holyrood Palace with John Knox. The great reformer harangued the young queen and she agreed to protect the Protestant Church in Scotland while continuing to hear Mass in private.

Mary lost the support of the Scots in 1567 when she was suspected of being involved in the mysterious death of her second husband, Lord Darnley. When she married Darnley's presumed murderer, the Earl of Bothwell, the Scots rose against her and proclaimed her infant son, James (VI), king. Mary fled to England, where she was held prisoner until put to death in 1587 for plots against Elizabeth.

Her son, the infant James VI (r 1567−1625), was crowned at Stirling, and a series of regents ruled in his place. With the death of Queen Elizabeth I in England, who didn’t have any heirs, the English, desperate for a male monarch, soon turned their attention north. James VI of Scotland was married and had healthy children. Importantly, James was also a Protestant king.

James VI of Scotland became James I of Great Britain (Scotland, England and Ireland) and moved his court to London. James rode out of Edinburgh on 4 April 1603 and he only visited Scotland once in 1617, reigning from London for 22 years. On 11 July 1603 the crowns of Scotland and England were united. However, the ‘perfect union’ that King James hoped for was still far away. Scotland and England kept their own parliaments, their own laws and minted their own coinage.


 * wealthy** rich
 * preachings** sermons
 * pupil** a person, usually young, who is learning under the close supervision of a teacher
 * harangued** a long or intense verbal attack
 * mass** the celebration of the Eucharist
 * rose ** past simple form of the verb rise. To revolt or rebel.
 * minted** to make coins


 * ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS **

1. Who married Henry VII’s daugther and what did this marriage mean? 2. Who were Scotland’s allies? 3. What happened in Scotland while Mary was in France? Who was an important figure in this process? 4. Why did Mary have to return to Scotland? 5. Who did Mary meet at Holyrood Palace? What did they agree? 6. Why did Mary loose the support from the Scots? 7. Who was the new king of Scotland? 8. How was it that James VI of Scotland became James I of England? 9. Were England and Scotland really united in 1603?

[|King James I of England]  **
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[|****The Glorious Revolution****]