Union of Crowns: The Forging of Europe's Most Independent State

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died and the succession passed to the Stuarts of Scotland. The man who came to the Court in London in March of that year was unlike any monarch seen before. Born on 19th June 1566 to Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, James' (or Jacques') legacy was the succession to the Scots throne which he gained on 29th July 1567, after his mother's abdication. Brought up as a regent by a series of tutors, he was treated with little sympathy because he was a Catholic. But James excelled academically and could speak Latin before he could speak Scots. His memory and powers of recall stunned ambassadors, visiting dignitaries and courtiers. What he did not received, however, was any training in social graces or in the ways of the world and his narrow jaw made eating and drinking difficult.