On June 19, 1566 at Edinburgh Castle a son was born to Mary Queen of Scots and her husband Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, the baby was christened James and he would become the sixth of his name to be King of Scotland when he was barely 13 months old. His mother was forced by the Lairds to abdicate the Scottish throne and she fled south to England for her own safety and he would never see her again.
James’ parents were both Catholics but he would be brought up as a Protestant and during his boyhood was kept in seclusion, being given a superb education under the tutelage of George Buchanan. During the king’s minority, Scotland was to be ruled over by a succession of regents, four in all, the Earls Moray, Lennox, Mar and Morton, in what were troubled times. On gaining his majority he took over the affairs of state with an eye for what was happening south of the border as he knew full well that he had to keep relations with Elizabeth the Queen of England as cordial as possible, even though his mother was her prisoner. He was as we say “playing the long game” because he knew he had the best claim to the English throne on Elizabeth’s death, by virtue of descent through his great grandmother, the daughter of King Henry VII.
When Queen Elizabeth I died, in 1603, James duly came south to claim the English throne as James I and he would...
