J. H. Burns
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203841
- eISBN:
- 9780191676017
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203841.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
‘Fear God, honour the king’. Sixteenth-century people were supposed to do both. But what was the king entitled to command? And what if he ordered one thing and God's law said another? This book ...
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‘Fear God, honour the king’. Sixteenth-century people were supposed to do both. But what was the king entitled to command? And what if he ordered one thing and God's law said another? This book examines these questions by focusing on a neglected area of study: the Scottish experience. Sixteenth-century Scots lived through intense political and religious conflict, which generated a substantial literature of political debate. This debate was of such an intensity that James VI, the first king to rule over Scotland and England, wrote his own book on the subject: The True Lawe of Free Monarchies. Some of the substantial literature of political debate has long been recognized as important in the wider history of European political thought. Knox and Buchanan as exponents of ‘resistance theory’, Blackwood and Barclay as defenders of ‘absolute’ monarchy, have had that recognition. James VI uniquely expounding ‘divine right’ principles from the throne, has likewise had his place. More recently, the significance of the late-scholastic theory of John Mair has been increasingly acknowledged. This book attempts to bring together systematically these and less familiar elements in a rich and varied body of political thought. The Scottish response to monarchical government not only provides a microcosmic view of European thinking on the subject, it also contributes substantially to our understanding of the Scottish element in the new ‘British’ polity which was emerging at the end of the period.Less
‘Fear God, honour the king’. Sixteenth-century people were supposed to do both. But what was the king entitled to command? And what if he ordered one thing and God's law said another? This book examines these questions by focusing on a neglected area of study: the Scottish experience. Sixteenth-century Scots lived through intense political and religious conflict, which generated a substantial literature of political debate. This debate was of such an intensity that James VI, the first king to rule over Scotland and England, wrote his own book on the subject: The True Lawe of Free Monarchies. Some of the substantial literature of political debate has long been recognized as important in the wider history of European political thought. Knox and Buchanan as exponents of ‘resistance theory’, Blackwood and Barclay as defenders of ‘absolute’ monarchy, have had that recognition. James VI uniquely expounding ‘divine right’ principles from the throne, has likewise had his place. More recently, the significance of the late-scholastic theory of John Mair has been increasingly acknowledged. This book attempts to bring together systematically these and less familiar elements in a rich and varied body of political thought. The Scottish response to monarchical government not only provides a microcosmic view of European thinking on the subject, it also contributes substantially to our understanding of the Scottish element in the new ‘British’ polity which was emerging at the end of the period.
Alexandra Gajda
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199699681
- eISBN:
- 9780191739057
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199699681.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter examines the Essex rising of 8 February 1601, and introduces the themes that structure the rest of the book. A narrative explains the context of the events that led to the earl’s protest ...
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This chapter examines the Essex rising of 8 February 1601, and introduces the themes that structure the rest of the book. A narrative explains the context of the events that led to the earl’s protest on the streets of London. Then, analysis focuses on the ways that Essex and his followers conceived of the legitimacy of their actions as a loyalist intervention to save queen and state, and to defend the succession of James VI of Scotland from a court-based conspiracy to enthrone the Spanish Infanta. Government propaganda denied the legitimacy of Essex’s protestations of loyalty, insisting that the rising was a treasonous rebellion, and arguing that Essex’s character and conduct reflected long-standing ambitions to usurp the throne, as Henry Bullingbrook had deposed Richard II. These narratives of Essex’s rising exemplify political and ideological divisions that had emerged over the course of the earl’s later career.Less
This chapter examines the Essex rising of 8 February 1601, and introduces the themes that structure the rest of the book. A narrative explains the context of the events that led to the earl’s protest on the streets of London. Then, analysis focuses on the ways that Essex and his followers conceived of the legitimacy of their actions as a loyalist intervention to save queen and state, and to defend the succession of James VI of Scotland from a court-based conspiracy to enthrone the Spanish Infanta. Government propaganda denied the legitimacy of Essex’s protestations of loyalty, insisting that the rising was a treasonous rebellion, and arguing that Essex’s character and conduct reflected long-standing ambitions to usurp the throne, as Henry Bullingbrook had deposed Richard II. These narratives of Essex’s rising exemplify political and ideological divisions that had emerged over the course of the earl’s later career.
Jenny Wormald
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263303
- eISBN:
- 9780191734137
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263303.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This chapter discusses the drama and tension of the accession, and the history of the Union of the Crowns in the lifetime of James. James VI was proclaimed King of England when Elizabeth died. It was ...
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This chapter discusses the drama and tension of the accession, and the history of the Union of the Crowns in the lifetime of James. James VI was proclaimed King of England when Elizabeth died. It was ruthlessly silent about James' Anglo-Scottish ancestry. But what James VI had inherited from his Stuart ancestors, most notably James IV and the even more effective James V, was a lofty vision of the diplomatic importance of the King of Scots and his ability to have an impact on other European countries. In 1603, the brutal fact was that the Scots and the English disliked one another intensely. The theme of Anglo-Scottish hostility is briefly outlined. The Union of 1603 did have a profound impact on his style of kingship. It was also noted that the dearth of Tudor heirs contributed to the absolute problem of finding different kings for England and Scotland. When celebrating the fourth centenary of that momentous event, the toast was certainly to King James.Less
This chapter discusses the drama and tension of the accession, and the history of the Union of the Crowns in the lifetime of James. James VI was proclaimed King of England when Elizabeth died. It was ruthlessly silent about James' Anglo-Scottish ancestry. But what James VI had inherited from his Stuart ancestors, most notably James IV and the even more effective James V, was a lofty vision of the diplomatic importance of the King of Scots and his ability to have an impact on other European countries. In 1603, the brutal fact was that the Scots and the English disliked one another intensely. The theme of Anglo-Scottish hostility is briefly outlined. The Union of 1603 did have a profound impact on his style of kingship. It was also noted that the dearth of Tudor heirs contributed to the absolute problem of finding different kings for England and Scotland. When celebrating the fourth centenary of that momentous event, the toast was certainly to King James.
FELICITY HEAL
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198269243
- eISBN:
- 9780191602412
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269242.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This discusses the political history of the religious settlements between 1558 and the end of the century. It contrasts England and Scotland, roughly characterized by having reformation from above ...
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This discusses the political history of the religious settlements between 1558 and the end of the century. It contrasts England and Scotland, roughly characterized by having reformation from above and from below, but also emphasizes shared concerns and attitudes. The problems of reform in Ireland are treated separately: here the danger of assuming inevitable failure for Protestantism is stressed.Less
This discusses the political history of the religious settlements between 1558 and the end of the century. It contrasts England and Scotland, roughly characterized by having reformation from above and from below, but also emphasizes shared concerns and attitudes. The problems of reform in Ireland are treated separately: here the danger of assuming inevitable failure for Protestantism is stressed.
Ronald D. S. Jack
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264133
- eISBN:
- 9780191734649
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264133.003.0017
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature
This chapter examines the Scottish Petrarchans before and after 1603 or the Union of the Crowns. It explains that Petrarch was initially resisted as a model for the connection between poetry and ...
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This chapter examines the Scottish Petrarchans before and after 1603 or the Union of the Crowns. It explains that Petrarch was initially resisted as a model for the connection between poetry and nationhood and that the Scottish sonnet became more anglicised when James VI became King of England and Scotland and Petrarchism became the more dominant lyrical influence. It considers three Scottish poets who exemplify this development of the Petrarchan sonnet, culminating in William Drummond of Hawthornden.Less
This chapter examines the Scottish Petrarchans before and after 1603 or the Union of the Crowns. It explains that Petrarch was initially resisted as a model for the connection between poetry and nationhood and that the Scottish sonnet became more anglicised when James VI became King of England and Scotland and Petrarchism became the more dominant lyrical influence. It considers three Scottish poets who exemplify this development of the Petrarchan sonnet, culminating in William Drummond of Hawthornden.
KEVIN SHARPE
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202295
- eISBN:
- 9780191675270
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202295.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
Kevin Sharpe, the author of this chapter discusses James VI and I's most public pronouncements on kingship, conscience, and duty. He studies James's letters, devotional tracts, commentaries on ...
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Kevin Sharpe, the author of this chapter discusses James VI and I's most public pronouncements on kingship, conscience, and duty. He studies James's letters, devotional tracts, commentaries on Scripture, and his poetry as self-examinations and self-explications of the king's person and concept of office. Sharpe opines that ‘private conscience’ and ‘public duty’ are in our usage terms that usually imply opposites. He further laments that though numerous events and controversies – politicians' sexual indiscretions, the publication of offensive books, the responsibility for riot and disorder – belie a simple distinction between them, the belief in the separateness of private and public spaces is adhered to. Sharpe observes that the commitment to that separateness and the idea of the ownership of the self are fundamental to both modern psychology and the modern state.Less
Kevin Sharpe, the author of this chapter discusses James VI and I's most public pronouncements on kingship, conscience, and duty. He studies James's letters, devotional tracts, commentaries on Scripture, and his poetry as self-examinations and self-explications of the king's person and concept of office. Sharpe opines that ‘private conscience’ and ‘public duty’ are in our usage terms that usually imply opposites. He further laments that though numerous events and controversies – politicians' sexual indiscretions, the publication of offensive books, the responsibility for riot and disorder – belie a simple distinction between them, the belief in the separateness of private and public spaces is adhered to. Sharpe observes that the commitment to that separateness and the idea of the ownership of the self are fundamental to both modern psychology and the modern state.
ALAN HARDING
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198219583
- eISBN:
- 9780191717574
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198219583.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
In the late 15th century Fortescue in England and Commynes in France compared the governance of the two commonwealths under the strain of war. The influence of Renaissance humanism is seen in the ...
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In the late 15th century Fortescue in England and Commynes in France compared the governance of the two commonwealths under the strain of war. The influence of Renaissance humanism is seen in the 16th century in More's Utopia with its vision of an ideal state, and Montaigne's superb essays ranging over the whole field of human experience in the midst of the French Wars of Religion. The same crisis inspired Jean Bodin, a third lawyer-humanist, to set out in his Six Livres de la République a model regime based on a methodical study of historical states. The problem of how to defend royal sovereignty in the face of aggressive religious sects also preoccupied James VI of Scotland and I of England. In 1649 Parliament would execute James' son and set up a ‘Commonwealth and Free State’ without kings, who were seen as naturally promoting ‘their own power and will above the laws’.Less
In the late 15th century Fortescue in England and Commynes in France compared the governance of the two commonwealths under the strain of war. The influence of Renaissance humanism is seen in the 16th century in More's Utopia with its vision of an ideal state, and Montaigne's superb essays ranging over the whole field of human experience in the midst of the French Wars of Religion. The same crisis inspired Jean Bodin, a third lawyer-humanist, to set out in his Six Livres de la République a model regime based on a methodical study of historical states. The problem of how to defend royal sovereignty in the face of aggressive religious sects also preoccupied James VI of Scotland and I of England. In 1649 Parliament would execute James' son and set up a ‘Commonwealth and Free State’ without kings, who were seen as naturally promoting ‘their own power and will above the laws’.
James VI
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203841
- eISBN:
- 9780191676017
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203841.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter surveys James VI's preferred doctrinal habitation. By the time Mary died on the scaffold, her son, James VI, ruling and reigning, was deeply embroiled with the kirk of which he was ...
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This chapter surveys James VI's preferred doctrinal habitation. By the time Mary died on the scaffold, her son, James VI, ruling and reigning, was deeply embroiled with the kirk of which he was ‘supreme Governour’. One element always prominent in the Scottish church was shaped by the ‘second reformation’ of the 1570s and after, its goals inscribed in the Second Book of Discipline adopted by the General Assembly in 1578. The confrontation between Andrew Melville and James VI involved a clash between irreconcilable ecclesiologies, each with immediate and important implications for the way in which royal power was to be conceived. The king's The True Lawe and Basilokon Doron together provide an unique amalgam of late 16th-century royalist ideology with a shrewd appraisal of the problems of royal government.Less
This chapter surveys James VI's preferred doctrinal habitation. By the time Mary died on the scaffold, her son, James VI, ruling and reigning, was deeply embroiled with the kirk of which he was ‘supreme Governour’. One element always prominent in the Scottish church was shaped by the ‘second reformation’ of the 1570s and after, its goals inscribed in the Second Book of Discipline adopted by the General Assembly in 1578. The confrontation between Andrew Melville and James VI involved a clash between irreconcilable ecclesiologies, each with immediate and important implications for the way in which royal power was to be conceived. The king's The True Lawe and Basilokon Doron together provide an unique amalgam of late 16th-century royalist ideology with a shrewd appraisal of the problems of royal government.
James VI
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203841
- eISBN:
- 9780191676017
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203841.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter examines how James' thinking developed in the broader context, foreshadowed in his Basilokon Doron, in which he reigned as ‘king of Great Britain’. it considers three topics that seem to ...
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This chapter examines how James' thinking developed in the broader context, foreshadowed in his Basilokon Doron, in which he reigned as ‘king of Great Britain’. it considers three topics that seem to have a particular bearing upon the enquiry into the conceptualisation of the Scottish kingship in the last century of its fully independent existence. The first is the question of union itself, which dominated the politics of the first half-dozen years after James' accession in England. The second is the issue of ‘church and state’. The third theme is the further development of the ideology of divine-right monarchy as seen in the writings of Blackwood, Barclay, and James himself.Less
This chapter examines how James' thinking developed in the broader context, foreshadowed in his Basilokon Doron, in which he reigned as ‘king of Great Britain’. it considers three topics that seem to have a particular bearing upon the enquiry into the conceptualisation of the Scottish kingship in the last century of its fully independent existence. The first is the question of union itself, which dominated the politics of the first half-dozen years after James' accession in England. The second is the issue of ‘church and state’. The third theme is the further development of the ideology of divine-right monarchy as seen in the writings of Blackwood, Barclay, and James himself.
Keith M. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748612987
- eISBN:
- 9780748653546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748612987.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Scottish Studies
This chapter discusses the men with the virtue and skills necessary in the art of government who were provided by nobles to aid kings. It notes that among the higher ranks of the nobility that duty ...
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This chapter discusses the men with the virtue and skills necessary in the art of government who were provided by nobles to aid kings. It notes that among the higher ranks of the nobility that duty and that right to give counsel was heritable, as was recognised by parliament in the personal summons issued to peers. It further notes that Mary, James VI, and Charles I each recognised this relationship with their nobles, and while they called on the services of different men none of these rulers entirely ignored the counsel of the nobility or recruited significant numbers of advisers and servants to government from outside of noble society.Less
This chapter discusses the men with the virtue and skills necessary in the art of government who were provided by nobles to aid kings. It notes that among the higher ranks of the nobility that duty and that right to give counsel was heritable, as was recognised by parliament in the personal summons issued to peers. It further notes that Mary, James VI, and Charles I each recognised this relationship with their nobles, and while they called on the services of different men none of these rulers entirely ignored the counsel of the nobility or recruited significant numbers of advisers and servants to government from outside of noble society.
Keith M. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748612987
- eISBN:
- 9780748653546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748612987.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Scottish Studies
This chapter focuses on the tensions within the political community, on those fissures that broke apart the consensus that made government possible. It observes that ideas about resistance, ...
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This chapter focuses on the tensions within the political community, on those fissures that broke apart the consensus that made government possible. It observes that ideas about resistance, implacable religious divisions and a legacy of weak government and civil war that fed the worst attributes of a feuding society all threatened to make the kingdom ungovernable. It also discusses and highlights the nobility's ambivalence towards resistance as James VI came of age, an increasing disenchantment with religious politics, and a growing unease at the escalation of feuding. It explains that the power of individual nobles, and even factions of nobles, could be broken by the crown when it exploited the natural conservatism of noble society and deployed the power of other nobles in its cause. It emphasizes that James VI's removal to England in 1603 changed forever the political landscape of Scotland, altering in the process the relationship between crown and nobility.Less
This chapter focuses on the tensions within the political community, on those fissures that broke apart the consensus that made government possible. It observes that ideas about resistance, implacable religious divisions and a legacy of weak government and civil war that fed the worst attributes of a feuding society all threatened to make the kingdom ungovernable. It also discusses and highlights the nobility's ambivalence towards resistance as James VI came of age, an increasing disenchantment with religious politics, and a growing unease at the escalation of feuding. It explains that the power of individual nobles, and even factions of nobles, could be broken by the crown when it exploited the natural conservatism of noble society and deployed the power of other nobles in its cause. It emphasizes that James VI's removal to England in 1603 changed forever the political landscape of Scotland, altering in the process the relationship between crown and nobility.
Keith M. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748612987
- eISBN:
- 9780748653546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748612987.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Scottish Studies
This chapter discusses the royal court of the sixteenth century, which suffered from unfavourable comparisons with that of James IV and James V and with its close contemporaries in England or France, ...
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This chapter discusses the royal court of the sixteenth century, which suffered from unfavourable comparisons with that of James IV and James V and with its close contemporaries in England or France, while the early seventeenth-century court is often overlooked as English and of little relevance to Scotland. It observes that the courts of Mary and James VI were poor compared to the courts of James IV and James V. It explains that because the crown was relatively impoverished it does not mean that the court was politically irrelevant. It observes that nobles chased office, wealth, and influence at court, and much of the politics of the period focused on court power struggles that were enmeshed in the turbulent politics of the localities. It opines that the political and cultural significance of the post-1603 court cannot be dismissed and the long-term detrimental impact on Scotland requires a more sophisticated interpretation.Less
This chapter discusses the royal court of the sixteenth century, which suffered from unfavourable comparisons with that of James IV and James V and with its close contemporaries in England or France, while the early seventeenth-century court is often overlooked as English and of little relevance to Scotland. It observes that the courts of Mary and James VI were poor compared to the courts of James IV and James V. It explains that because the crown was relatively impoverished it does not mean that the court was politically irrelevant. It observes that nobles chased office, wealth, and influence at court, and much of the politics of the period focused on court power struggles that were enmeshed in the turbulent politics of the localities. It opines that the political and cultural significance of the post-1603 court cannot be dismissed and the long-term detrimental impact on Scotland requires a more sophisticated interpretation.
Jenna M. Schultz
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781526117045
- eISBN:
- 9781526141910
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526117045.003.0015
- Subject:
- Art, Art History
Through dynastic accident, England and Scotland were united under King James VI and I in 1603. To smooth the transition, officials attempted to create a single state: Great Britain. Yet the project ...
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Through dynastic accident, England and Scotland were united under King James VI and I in 1603. To smooth the transition, officials attempted to create a single state: Great Britain. Yet the project had a narrow appeal; the majority of the English populace rejected a closer relationship with Scotland. Such a strong reaction against Scotland resulted in a revived sense of Englishness. This essay analyzes English tactics to distance themselves from the Scots through historical treatises. For centuries, the English had created vivid histories to illuminate their ancient past. It is evident from the historical works written between 1586 and 1625 that authors sought to maintain a position of dominance over Scotland through veiled political commentaries. As such, their accounts propagated an English national identity based on a sense of historical supremacy over the Scottish. This was further supported through the use of language studies and archaeological evidence. After the 1603 Union of the Crowns, these stories did not change. Yet, questions arose regarding the king's genealogy, as he claimed descent from the great kings of both kingdoms. Consequently, historians re-invented the past to merge their historical accounts with the king's ancestral claims while continuing to validate English assertions of suzerainty.Less
Through dynastic accident, England and Scotland were united under King James VI and I in 1603. To smooth the transition, officials attempted to create a single state: Great Britain. Yet the project had a narrow appeal; the majority of the English populace rejected a closer relationship with Scotland. Such a strong reaction against Scotland resulted in a revived sense of Englishness. This essay analyzes English tactics to distance themselves from the Scots through historical treatises. For centuries, the English had created vivid histories to illuminate their ancient past. It is evident from the historical works written between 1586 and 1625 that authors sought to maintain a position of dominance over Scotland through veiled political commentaries. As such, their accounts propagated an English national identity based on a sense of historical supremacy over the Scottish. This was further supported through the use of language studies and archaeological evidence. After the 1603 Union of the Crowns, these stories did not change. Yet, questions arose regarding the king's genealogy, as he claimed descent from the great kings of both kingdoms. Consequently, historians re-invented the past to merge their historical accounts with the king's ancestral claims while continuing to validate English assertions of suzerainty.
Alexandra Gajda
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199699681
- eISBN:
- 9780191739057
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199699681.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter defines the broader conclusions that can be drawn from the earl’s career and rising. It restates the importance of the role that political and religious ideas played in shaping the ...
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This chapter defines the broader conclusions that can be drawn from the earl’s career and rising. It restates the importance of the role that political and religious ideas played in shaping the events of the late 1590s and the earl’s revolt. It is argued that the religious tensions revealed by Essex’s involvement in succession politics were inherited by James VI on his accession to the English throne. It is argued that the ideas and concepts used by Elizabethans to define the monarchical state, and the roles and rights of subjects within it, were often drawn from highly negative literary paradigms: this represented a significant shift from the political culture of the earlier Elizabethan period, foreshadowing public discourse about the early Stuart monarchy, with ramifications for the ideological divisions of the seventeenth century.Less
This chapter defines the broader conclusions that can be drawn from the earl’s career and rising. It restates the importance of the role that political and religious ideas played in shaping the events of the late 1590s and the earl’s revolt. It is argued that the religious tensions revealed by Essex’s involvement in succession politics were inherited by James VI on his accession to the English throne. It is argued that the ideas and concepts used by Elizabethans to define the monarchical state, and the roles and rights of subjects within it, were often drawn from highly negative literary paradigms: this represented a significant shift from the political culture of the earlier Elizabethan period, foreshadowing public discourse about the early Stuart monarchy, with ramifications for the ideological divisions of the seventeenth century.
Alexander Courtney
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780719086069
- eISBN:
- 9781781707883
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719086069.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
This chapter re-examines the secret correspondence between James VI, Sir Robert Cecil, Lord Henry Howard and others over the last two years of Elizabeth I’s reign. James wanted friends who might ...
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This chapter re-examines the secret correspondence between James VI, Sir Robert Cecil, Lord Henry Howard and others over the last two years of Elizabeth I’s reign. James wanted friends who might influence Elizabeth in his favour and counteract the supposedly nefarious influence of others upon her. Equally, Cecil and Howard profited from depicting themselves as potent, though clandestine, defenders of the Scottish king’s claim where it counted most: at the heart of Elizabeth’s court. Counsel thus emerges as a central concern of this correspondence. Although it did not straightforwardly ‘pave the way’ for the peaceful accession of 1603, the secret correspondence provided its participants with what they could plausibly view, in hindsight at least, as an effective means to further their interests.Less
This chapter re-examines the secret correspondence between James VI, Sir Robert Cecil, Lord Henry Howard and others over the last two years of Elizabeth I’s reign. James wanted friends who might influence Elizabeth in his favour and counteract the supposedly nefarious influence of others upon her. Equally, Cecil and Howard profited from depicting themselves as potent, though clandestine, defenders of the Scottish king’s claim where it counted most: at the heart of Elizabeth’s court. Counsel thus emerges as a central concern of this correspondence. Although it did not straightforwardly ‘pave the way’ for the peaceful accession of 1603, the secret correspondence provided its participants with what they could plausibly view, in hindsight at least, as an effective means to further their interests.
George Buchanan
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203841
- eISBN:
- 9780191676017
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203841.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
Different ways of envisaging and enforcing the limitations of royal power were asserted and denied in the strenuous controversy provoked by the deposition of Mary Queen of Scots. This chapter is ...
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Different ways of envisaging and enforcing the limitations of royal power were asserted and denied in the strenuous controversy provoked by the deposition of Mary Queen of Scots. This chapter is devoted to this controversy. On 24 July 1567, ten weeks after her scandalous marriage to the earl of Bothwell, Mary Queen of Scots abdicated in favour of her infant son. A prisoner since mid-June in the hands of implacable enemies, she yielded to what was for the moment inevitable. Five days later, James VI was crowned and anointed king. In 1579, George Buchanan's De iure regni apud Scotos was published, part of the controversial ferment of the 1567 crisis.Less
Different ways of envisaging and enforcing the limitations of royal power were asserted and denied in the strenuous controversy provoked by the deposition of Mary Queen of Scots. This chapter is devoted to this controversy. On 24 July 1567, ten weeks after her scandalous marriage to the earl of Bothwell, Mary Queen of Scots abdicated in favour of her infant son. A prisoner since mid-June in the hands of implacable enemies, she yielded to what was for the moment inevitable. Five days later, James VI was crowned and anointed king. In 1579, George Buchanan's De iure regni apud Scotos was published, part of the controversial ferment of the 1567 crisis.
Jane H. Ohlmeyer
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205623
- eISBN:
- 9780191676703
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205623.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History, British and Irish Modern History
In the wake of English victory at the end of the Nine Years War, Ulster met a similar fate. The unexpected flight of leading Irish lords to the continent and the revolt of Sir Cahir O'Dogherty ...
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In the wake of English victory at the end of the Nine Years War, Ulster met a similar fate. The unexpected flight of leading Irish lords to the continent and the revolt of Sir Cahir O'Dogherty enabled the state to confiscate vast tracts of Ulster. James VI and I allocated land in relatively small parcels to one hundred Scottish and English ‘undertakers’ and about fifty ‘servitors’ in the hope that they would create a British type of rural society. In addition, he set aside other acres to endow key ‘civilizing’ institutions — the church, towns, schools, and Trinity College, Dublin; while he obliged the City of London to take on the entire County of Londonderry in an effort to bring capital and economic prosperity to a commercial backwater. In addition to plantations, the Crown sought to tame ‘those rude parts’ — while at the same time enriching itself by interfering in land titles.Less
In the wake of English victory at the end of the Nine Years War, Ulster met a similar fate. The unexpected flight of leading Irish lords to the continent and the revolt of Sir Cahir O'Dogherty enabled the state to confiscate vast tracts of Ulster. James VI and I allocated land in relatively small parcels to one hundred Scottish and English ‘undertakers’ and about fifty ‘servitors’ in the hope that they would create a British type of rural society. In addition, he set aside other acres to endow key ‘civilizing’ institutions — the church, towns, schools, and Trinity College, Dublin; while he obliged the City of London to take on the entire County of Londonderry in an effort to bring capital and economic prosperity to a commercial backwater. In addition to plantations, the Crown sought to tame ‘those rude parts’ — while at the same time enriching itself by interfering in land titles.
Alan R. MacDonald
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780197266038
- eISBN:
- 9780191844805
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266038.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
The impact on Scotland of the union of 1603 remains contested, with many seeing 1625 as more significant. Some believe that the advent of ‘absentee monarchy’ in 1603 coincided with a failure in ...
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The impact on Scotland of the union of 1603 remains contested, with many seeing 1625 as more significant. Some believe that the advent of ‘absentee monarchy’ in 1603 coincided with a failure in counsel-giving mechanisms, ultimately leading to the revolution of 1637–8. Others reject the concept of ‘absentee monarchy’, and some argue that earlier institutional developments allowed government to function without daily royal participation. This chapter examines how central government sought and received counsel during James VI’s reign, exploring the diversity of institutional contexts, secular and ecclesiastical, for counsel. It traces developments before and after 1603 to assess the regal union’s impact and perceptions about the king’s departure. Considering one key individual’s views in 1625 highlights the importance of institutional mechanisms for counsel-giving and their perceived failures by that point. The continuities recognised by English historians between the reigns of James I and Charles I were also present in Scotland.Less
The impact on Scotland of the union of 1603 remains contested, with many seeing 1625 as more significant. Some believe that the advent of ‘absentee monarchy’ in 1603 coincided with a failure in counsel-giving mechanisms, ultimately leading to the revolution of 1637–8. Others reject the concept of ‘absentee monarchy’, and some argue that earlier institutional developments allowed government to function without daily royal participation. This chapter examines how central government sought and received counsel during James VI’s reign, exploring the diversity of institutional contexts, secular and ecclesiastical, for counsel. It traces developments before and after 1603 to assess the regal union’s impact and perceptions about the king’s departure. Considering one key individual’s views in 1625 highlights the importance of institutional mechanisms for counsel-giving and their perceived failures by that point. The continuities recognised by English historians between the reigns of James I and Charles I were also present in Scotland.
R. B. Wernham
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198204435
- eISBN:
- 9780191676277
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198204435.003.0026
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
On September 7,1602, the Queen entered upon her seventieth year. For the 16th century and for an English monarch, she had already had an unusually long life. Her control over policy and affairs of ...
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On September 7,1602, the Queen entered upon her seventieth year. For the 16th century and for an English monarch, she had already had an unusually long life. Her control over policy and affairs of state was still firm and strong, but she could not ‘endure as long as the sun and moon’. Among those waiting to step up to her throne were James VI of Scotland and Infanta Isabella, daughter of Philip II of Spain. However, the great majority of Englishmen looked upon James VI as the natural and rightful successor. France did not greatly relish the prospect of the King of the Scots, their old allies at England's back door, becoming king of a united and insularly impregnable Great Britain. But certainly by 1602, they recognized that James's accession was virtually inevitable. Henry IV was well aware that French intervention over the English succession would be a sure way of bringing upon him a new war with Spain.Less
On September 7,1602, the Queen entered upon her seventieth year. For the 16th century and for an English monarch, she had already had an unusually long life. Her control over policy and affairs of state was still firm and strong, but she could not ‘endure as long as the sun and moon’. Among those waiting to step up to her throne were James VI of Scotland and Infanta Isabella, daughter of Philip II of Spain. However, the great majority of Englishmen looked upon James VI as the natural and rightful successor. France did not greatly relish the prospect of the King of the Scots, their old allies at England's back door, becoming king of a united and insularly impregnable Great Britain. But certainly by 1602, they recognized that James's accession was virtually inevitable. Henry IV was well aware that French intervention over the English succession would be a sure way of bringing upon him a new war with Spain.
Christopher A. Whatley
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748616855
- eISBN:
- 9780748672271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748616855.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Political History
This chapter explores the pre-history of the Union of 1707. It looks at the Scots’ attitudes to England over the course of the seventeenth century and why there was so much dissatisfaction with the ...
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This chapter explores the pre-history of the Union of 1707. It looks at the Scots’ attitudes to England over the course of the seventeenth century and why there was so much dissatisfaction with the Union of the Crowns of 1603, when James VI of Scotland became monarch of the three kingdoms, governing from London.Less
This chapter explores the pre-history of the Union of 1707. It looks at the Scots’ attitudes to England over the course of the seventeenth century and why there was so much dissatisfaction with the Union of the Crowns of 1603, when James VI of Scotland became monarch of the three kingdoms, governing from London.
