James I of England (James VI of Scotland)
by SOMER, Paulus van, Oil on canvas, 223 x 139 cm
James I (1566-1625) was king of Scotland (as James VI) from 1567 to 1625 and first Stuart king of England from 1603 to 1625. He styled himself “king of Great Britain.” He was a strong advocate of royal absolutism, and his conflicts with an increasingly self-assertive Parliament set the stage for the rebellion against his successor, Charles I.