Unit 24. The Stuarts` accession. James I

Elizabeth was followed by James I, king of Scots. James was the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Lord Darnley. Eight months after James's birth his father died when his house was destroyed by an explosion. After her third marriage, to Earl of Bothwell, Mary was defeated by rebel Scottish lords and abdicated the throne. James, one year old, became king of Scotland on 24^th of July, 1567. Mary left the kingdom in 1568, and never saw her son again. The young king was kept fairly isolated but was given a good education until the age of 14 and turned into a learned man fond of literature and writing. For several years James remained the puppet of contending faction leaders, who tried to win the country for Mary. When James became the king his chief purpose was to establish his claim to succeed the childless Elizabeth I upon the throne of England. In 1586 James concluded an alliance with England. He remained true to this policy, and even Elizabeth's execution of his mother in 1587 drew from him only formal protests. James's rule of Scotland was basically successful. When James succeeded to the English throne on the death of Elizabeth I, he was already "an experienced king" with a clearly defined theory of royal government. But James did not understand the rights or the temper of the English Parliament, and he thus came into conflict with it. He had little contact with the English middle classes. His 22-year-long reign over England was unfortunate for the Stuart dynasty. He established peace by ending England's war with Spain in 1604. But then difficulties began. When Parliament refused to grant him a special fund to pay for his extravagances, James placed new customs duties on merchants without Parliament's consent. James dissolved Parliament in 1611. During the following years the king summoned and dissolved Parliament several times. During these years the king succumbed to the influence of his favourites hated by people, Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset and George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. He established a sort of alliance with Spain much hated in England. When Sir Walter Raleigh, who had gone to Guiana in search of gold, came into conflict with the Spaniards James gave an order to behead Raleigh. He adopted the Independent Church of England, but he condemned the Puritans and made them leave the country. Some of them sailed to North America. In 1620 the ship "Mayflower" landed in Americas and the crew founded 6 colonies. In 1604 the so-called conference of Hampton Court took place. One of its results was commission to make a new translation of the Bible. In 1611 was completed the so-called Authorized Version of King James` Bible. Catholics in their turn hoped for favour from James but did not get them and made a plot to blow up the king (Guy Fawkes Night).

At the end of his reign his son prince Charles decided most issues. James died at his favourite country residence, Theobalds, in Hertfordshire in 1625. Besides the political problems that he left to his son Charles, James left a body of writings which, though of mediocre quality as literature, entitle him to a unique place among English kings since the time of Alfred. Chief among these writings, for example, are political treatises, in which he expounded his own views on the divine right of kings.

Read the text, translate it into Russian.

Memorize the words, answer the questions:

puppet - марионетка	Whose son was James I?
contend - оспаривать	Why was he not popular with English people?
grant -даровать	Why did James order to behead Sir Walter Raleigh?
unique - уникальный	Why did the Catholics decide to blow the king?
divine - божественный	On what ship did the Puritans leave England?
condemn - приговаривать	What did the king leave to his son?
treatise - трактат