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British Kings "Bullet Book," James I, 1603 - 1625


James I Gold Unite

• James I became king after the death of Queen Elizabeth I who died unmarried and childless. He was the king of Scotland and was the son of Mary Queen of Scots.

• The gold coin shown above, the unite, got its name from the fact the British and Scottish crowns were united under his reign.

• James became the King of Scotland when he was a baby. Regents ruled the country until he came of age. James was an experienced politician who was well versed in the survival mode that monarchs needed to hold power. Yet he had his faults.

• James demanded to be treated as a king, but he had the good sense not to be as nasty about it as his son, Charles I would be.

• Although his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was a Catholic, James was raised as a Protestant. By the early 1600s the Puritans had become a significant religious movement.

• James convened a conference at Hampton Court Palace. James conceded almost nothing to the Puritans, but he agreed that the Protestants should have access to the scriptures without intermediaries.

• The king hired 47 scholars to write an English Language translation of the scriptures. After seven years they produced the King James Version of the Holly Bible, which is one of the most influential books in the English Language.

• After a Spanish plot to overthrow James failed, Robert Catesby, a militant Catholic, and a group of co-conspirators hatched a plan to destroy the entire British Government. Catesby purchased a property that was near the House Lords and had a tunnel dug from that location to a spot under the government building. They filled a room with 36 barrels of gunpowder.On October 26, 1605, before Parliament was scheduled to convene, a British lord received an anonymous note which warned that a "terrible blow" was about to strike the government.

• On November 4 Guy Fawkes was found guarding the 36 barrels of gunpowder along with matches and a fuse. He was arrested and tortured into providing information about the rest of the plot. A subsequent manhunt resulted in the gunning down or the arrest and execution of the other conspirators. Ringleader, Robert Catesby was apprehended, and despite his claims of innocence, was hanged, drawn and quartered.

• James thought that he could form alliances with other European nations be marrying off his children to other royals. He succeeded in matching his daughter, Elizabeth, with Frederick the king of Bohemia. That created a family tie with the German States. In 1714 that tie would bring George I and the House of Hanover to the British crown.

• James did not do so well in matching his sons to the Spanish royalty. When Frederick got into a war with Austria, Spain was an Austrian ally, and James was left with having go against his son-in-law if he were to be in good graces with the Spanish Government. Any hope of a marriage with Spanish royalty was impossible, not that there was much of any chance for it anyway.

• In his later years, James became senile. He came under the influence of George Villiers, who later became the Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham got James and his son, Charles, involved in some ill-advised schemes and wars much to the consternation of the British Parliament. It was during this period that James was called “the most foolish wise man in Europe.”

• James was the patron of some forward looking inventors of his type. One Dutchman, Cornelius Drebbel developed the microscope, thermometer and the first submarine. It was actually a submersible rowboat. Drebbel took James for ride in the device making him the first king ever to travel underwater.

Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?

Comments

  • BillDugan1959BillDugan1959 Posts: 3,821 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 26, 2018 2:25PM

    James the First lost an elder son, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1612. This son was 18 and died of typhoid fever. Henry was well educated, mostly sensible about cultivating public opinion, and was highly esteemed by most courtiers. Had he lived, James' next son Charles might not have come to the throne and caused the English Civil Wars.

    That is a very nice gold coin with an excellent portrait!

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes James, your aunt Elizabeth did have mommy beheaded but among us royals that is just how things go so don't worry about it.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oops! I think I have the wrong Mary.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,431 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 26, 2018 3:35PM

    @291fifth said:
    Yes James, your aunt Elizabeth did have mommy beheaded but among us royals that is just how things go so don't worry about it.

    And your mommy abandoned you when you were an infant and never saw you again. The painting of Mary Queen Scots and James together was a fantasy. She never gave any indication that she had any interest in him at all. She was off social climbing in France.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,431 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @291fifth said:
    Oops! I think I have the wrong Mary.

    No, you have the right one. It's just that she was more interested in power and wealth that her son.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,466 ✭✭✭✭✭

    James I was also a drooler, and possibly had male "companionship".

    In memory of my kitty Seryozha 14.2.1996 ~ 13.9.2016 and Shadow 3.4.2015 - 16.4.21
  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 8,625 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oh the lives of royalty, did James die of old age? Peace Roy

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,431 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Namvet69 said:
    Oh the lives of royalty, did James die of old age? Peace Roy

    He probably had dementia or Alzheimer’s at the end of his life, so in terms of his time, yes. His son, Charles, was not so lucky.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,466 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think I should do something similar for Scottish monarchs.

    In memory of my kitty Seryozha 14.2.1996 ~ 13.9.2016 and Shadow 3.4.2015 - 16.4.21
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