ed and peaceful British nation.for union - one of his first projects was a full legal and political union of England and Scotland. James told the English Parliament that Scotland would now have to become like an English shire such as Northumberland. However, the English were suspicious of the idea; they were afraid that their Scottish ruler was planning a union that would threaten their identity. To James »s dismay, the English Parliament threw the plans out: the only« union » that they would allow was a union of crowns. One king: two different countries.troubles - James found that his other ideas also ran into trouble. He encouraged England to make peace with its traditional Catholic enemies, such as Spain, leading to accusations that he was giving in to «popery». His plan for «civilising» Ireland by means of settling thousands of Protestant Scots in Ulster also generated conflict. James frequently retreated into his own world, hunting, watching theatrical performances and conducting theological disputes with the Pope. His English subjects seem to have been bemused by their king.in Scotland - and what of Scotland? Managed in James «s absence by strong nobles and officials, who received frequent messages from James in London, Scotland remained generally peaceful, and maintained its separate system of law and government. James »s attempts to make the Kirk more like the Church of England, however, were unpopular, and stored up trouble for the future. The renaissance of Scots literature had been partly snuffed out when the court moved to London: many court poets changed from writing in Scots to writing in English. James only made one return visit to Scotland, in 1617.VI. The man who lies behind the Union of the Crowns has been seen in different ways. Some historians accuse James of being a self-indulgent character dependent on young male favourites and over-fond of drink. Others point out that he governed Scotland with great success, worked for religious peace in Europe, and supported two great cultural movements - the revival of Scots poetry and the rise of the English theatre at the time of William Shakespeare. His books are now increasingly read again by historians and scholars, following a reappraisal of his works and reputation.of his time - sometimes James «s opinions seem shocking to us - his approval of burning heretics; his assertion that the only authority over him was God - and sometimes rather bizarre - for instance, his order that the lower classes should not be allowed to play bowls. In other areas, he seems to have been ahead of his time - warning against passive smoking, cultivating friendships with Spaniards, and calling for the protection of forests. During James »s reign the British colonies in North America became well-established: the Jamestown assembly met in 1619, and the Pilgrim Fathers arrived on the Mayflower in 1620, leading to the development of an organised English-speaking community.role - popular stories about James abound: his practice of urinating on horseback has passed into legend. On a more pleasant note, many people think he wrote the Authorised Version of the Bible: in fact he commissioned it. Each year on 5 November, firework displays commemorate James «s escape from being blown up in the Gunpowder Plot. Love him or loathe him, James is crucial to the story of Britain.of Union. If James not been available to become King of England, it seems highly likely that England and Sc...
