James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625), the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots, was King of Scots from 1567 and King of England and Ireland from 1603, being the first monarch of the House of Stuart to rule all three countries. His descendants include Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Philippe of Belgium, Felipe VI of Spain, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Margrethe II of Denmark, Harald V of Norway, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This article deals with numerous descendants of James and his wife Anne of Denmark (Since he is not known to have had any illegitimate children).
In August 1589, James married Anne of Denmark by proxy and their actual wedding ceremony took place in Oslo, Norway, on 23 November of that year. Although James and Anne were close at the beginning of their marriage, they gradually drifted apart. She had been brought up a Lutheran and converted to Catholicism shortly after marrying James, which was unpopular among the people of Presbyterian Scotland (and, later, those of Anglican England).
By the time of her husband’s accession to the English throne in 1603, Anne was the mother of three living children (Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, Elizabeth and Charles), but had also suffered at least three miscarriages and stillbirths, and had another four children who died in infancy. Their second son succeeded James as King Charles I.
Children
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriages and Issue | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales |  |
19 February 1594 Stirling Castle, Stirling Scotland |
Never married no children |
6 November 1612 (aged 18) |
| Elizabeth of Bohemia |  |
19 August 1596 Falkland Palace, Fife, Scotland |
Frederick of Bohemia 8 children. The current UK monarchy stems from her |
13 February 1662 (aged 65) |
| Charles I of England | .jpg) |
19 November 1600 Dunfermline Palace, Fife, Scotland |
Henrietta Maria of France 5 children |
30 January 1649 (aged 48) |
- Henry Frederick STUART, Prince of Wales
Birth 19 FEB 1594, Stirling Castle; Death 6 NOV 1612, St. James Palace, England. Notes: Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester. Died of Typhoid. - STUART, Child
Birth JUL 1595; Death JUL 1595–Stillborn - Elizabeth STUART, “The Winter Queen”, Queen of Bohemia
Birth 19 AUG 1596, Dunfermline; Death 13 FEB 1662, Leicester House, London, England. Notes: Married Frederick V, Elector of Palatine of the Rhine, King of Bohemia 1619-1620. Had 13 children. - Margaret STUART
Birth 24 DEC 1598, Dalkeith Palace; Death MAR 1600, Linlithgow - Charles I STUART, King of Britain
Birth 19 NOV 1600, Dunfermline, Scotland; Death 30 JAN 1649, Whitehall Palace, England; Burial , St. George’s, Chapel, Windsor, England. Notes: Acceded to English throne upon death of his father on March 27, 1625. Murdered by order of “Puritan” Oliver Cromwell and other insurgents. Trial of King Charles I ||| Last words ||| more links to information on Charles I on the King James VI & I index page. - Robert Bruce STUART, Duke of Kintyre
Birth 18 JAN 1602, Dunfermline; Death 27 MAY 1602, Dunfermline - Son
Birth MAY 1603, Stirling; Death MAY 1603, Stirling - Mary STUART
Birth 8 APR 1605, Greenwich Palace; Death 16 SEP 1607, Stanwell Park, Middlesex, England - Sophia STUART
Birth 22 JUN 1606, Greenwich Palace; Death 23 JUN 1606, Greenwich Palace
*King James VI & I is not known to have had any illegitimate children.
Geneaology from King James I
to Prince Charles and Princess Diana
(and subsequent descendants)
The following genealogical chart is used with kind permission from Yvonne Demoskoff (http://users.uniserve.com/~canyon/royalty.html). Thanks Yvonne! One can also see this page as a pdf at kjchart.pdf
This chart outlines the descent of the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles from their common ancestor, King James VI & I. The names in red are five of the six godparents of their son Prince William. Please note that some information (such as full names and titles, in some cases) has been omitted for the sake of space.
(Copyright © 1998 Yvonne Demoskoff)
JAMES I of England and VI of Scotland (1566-1625) | |————————————————————————————————————————| | | Elizabeth Charles I, King of England | | | | Sophia James II, King of England | | | | George I, King of Great Britain (natural daughter:) | Henrietta | | George II, King of Great Britain James, 1st Earl Waldegrave | | |———————————————————————–| |———————| Frederick, Prince of Wales Louisa 2nd Earl Waldegrave 3rd Earl Waldegrave | | | | |———————| | | | | | | | | Augusta George III, King of Great Britain Louise Anne Horatia 4th Earl Waldegrave | | | | | | | | | | Augusta Edward, Duke of Kent Louise Horace 8th Earl Waldegrave | | | | | | | | | | Paul Victoria, Queen of Great Britain Christian IX, King of Denmark Adelaide William | | | | | | |——————————–| | | | Pauline Edward VII, King of G.B. Alice George I, King of the Hellenes 6th Earl Spencer 11th Earl Waldegrave | | | | | | | | | | | | Nicholas George V, King of G.B. Victoria Constantine I, King of the Hellenes 7th Earl Spencer 12th Earl Waldegrave | | | | | | | |—————| |————| | | | Sophie George VI, George, Alice Louis, Earl Paul I, King of the Hellenes 8th Earl Spencer Lady Susan Waldegrave | King of G.B. Duke of Kent | Mountbatten | | | | | | of Burma | | | | | | | | | Anastasia Elizabeth II, Alexandra Philip, Duke Patricia Constantine II, King Lady Diana Spencer | Queen of G.B. of Edinburgh | of the Hellenes | | | | | | Georgina |——————————-| Norton | | | | | | | Natalia Charles, Prince of Wales | |————————————————————————————| | | H.R.H. Prince William of Wales
April 9, 2011, H.R.H. Prince William of Wales married Miss Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey. They became known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
July 22, 2013, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announce the birth of their first son, [the baby was eventually named George Alexander Louis] born at the Lindo Wing, St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. “The baby is third in line of succession after His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge. He is styled His Royal Highness Prince [name] of Cambridge.”
(derived from www.dukeandduchessofcambridge.org/the-duchess-of-cambridge/biography. Quote taken from www.dukeandduchessofcambridge.org/news-and-diary/the-duchess-of-cambridge-has-been-delivered-of-son)
May 2, 2015, the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was born–a daughter, HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. She is fourth in line for the British throne: (1st) Prince Charles (her grandfather) (2nd) Prince William (her father) (3rd) Prince George (her older brother) (4th) Princess Charlotte.
- King James I was a Christian who wanted the Bible in the hands of the common man. Specially commanded the Authorized (King James) Version of 1611 of the Bible.
- King James was known for his wisdom. He was known as “Great Britain’s Solomon” while he was yet alive.
- Fluent in Greek, Latin, French, English, and his native Scots. Schooled in Italian and Spanish.
- Wrote extensively including Basilicon Doron (the Kingly Gift), Daemonologie, and tracts on varied subjects such as “Counterblaste to Tobacco” which condemned the use of tobacco. Counterblaste is considered the first anti-smoking tract. These and many other writings are found in The Workes of the Most High and Mightie Prince Iames (in Jacobean typography, the letter “I” can represent I or J), a massive collection of the king’s writings now online. In The Workes, one finds that King James was a contender for the faith of Jesus Christ and cared about the spiritual well-being of his kingdom. He even wrote Christian meditations for his people. His writings are still relevant today–King James has a message that Rome does not want you to hear.
- William Shakespere was one of his subjects. Learning and writing thrived under the King’s reign.
- Formed the foundation for what is now known as the British Empire by uniting warring tribes of Scotland and then enjoining the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603. He was the first to call his new kingdom, “Great Britain”.
- King James was became King of Scotland in 1567 when he was 13 months old and acceded to the English throne in 1603.
- Scottish reformation leader John Knox read the sermon when he was crowned King.
- He endured racism as a Scot ruling over the English, nevertheless had the love and admiration of many subjects. Years after his death, detractors tried to sully his good name. Unfortunately, it continues today, yet KJV translators, yea the King himself had predicted such.
- King James was sickly having crippling arthritis, weak limbs, abdominal colic, gout, and a number of other chronic illnesses. He also had physical handicaps which affected his legs and tongue. Coupled with numerous attempts on his life, he required constant attention and watchcare.
- His mother was Mary Queen of Scots who was deposed in 1567 and executed in 1587 after 19 years in prison. His father, Lord Darnley, was murdered in 1567.
- Roman Catholic clerics tried to kill him more than once. The King was born during the time of the Reformation and well knew popery’s atrocities. In 1536, popery burned William Tyndale to death for distributing the Bible and it was MUCH displeased with King James’ authorization of a Bible in English (see translator’s notes). Roman Catholic Nicolo Molin, an Ambassador said this of King James:
“…He is a Protestant…The king tries to extend his Protestant religion to the whole island. The King is a bitter enemy of our religion (Roman Catholic)…He frequently speaks of it in terms of contempt. He is all the harsher because of this last conspiracy (Gun Powder Plot) against his life…He understood that the Jesuits had a hand in it.”
King James said this in Basilicon Doron:
“I am no papist as I said before…Now faith…is the free gift of God (as Paul sayeth). It must be nourished by prayer, which is no thing else but a friendly talking to God. Use oft to pray when ye are quiet, especially in your bed…”
- He led a chaste life. Sir Henry Wotton (June 1602) said this of King James:
“There appears a certain natural goodness verging on modesty…He wears short hair…among his good qualities none shines more brightly than the chastness of his life, which he has preserved without stain down to the present time. Contrary to the example of almost all his ancestors, who disturbed the kingdom with the great number of bastards which they left.”
F.A. Inderwick wrote in 1891:
“James had a reputation for learning, for piety, for good nature, and for liberality.”
In 1603, Sir Roger Wilbaham wrote:
“The King is of sharpest wit and invention…of the sweetest most pleasant and best nature that I ever knew, desiring nor affecting anything but true honor.”
- King James loved literature and wrote extensively including the Basilicon Doron which contains instructions to his son on how to live and be a just king. King James’ advice to his son concerning chastity:
“Keep your body clean and unpolluted while you give it to your wife whom to only it belongs for how can you justly crave to be joined with a Virgin if your body be polluted? Why should the one half be clean, and the other defiled? And suppose I know, fornication is thought but a veniall sin by the most part of the world, yet remember well what I said to you in my first book regarding conscience, and count every sin a breach of God’s law, not according as the vain world esteems of it, but as God judge and maker of the law accounts of the same: hear God commanding by the mouth of Paul to abstain from fornication, declaring that the fornicator shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven, and by the mouth of John reckoning out fornication among other grievous sins that declares the commiters among dogs and swine.”
Advice to his son on how to treat his wife.
“And for your behavior to your wife, the Scripture can best give you counsel therein. Treat her as your own flesh, command her as her lord, cherish her as your helper, rule her as your pupil, please her in all things reasonable, but teach her not to be curious in things that belong not to her. You are the head, she is your body, it is your office to command and hers to obey, but yet with such a sweet harmony as she should be as ready to obey as you to command, as willing to follow as you to go before, your love being wholly knit unto her, and all her affections lovingly bent to follow your will.”
- King James loved his wife, Queen Anne, and wrote beautifully of her. They had nine children together. Once, while out hunting, Queen Anne mistakenly killed King James’ favorite dog. Sir Dudley Carleton wrote in 1613:
The queen shooting a deer mistook her mark and killed Jewel, the King’s most special and favourite hound; at which he stormed exceedingly awhile; but after he knew who did it he was soon pacified and with much kindness wished her not to be troubled with it for he should love her never the worse; and the next day sent her a diamond worth �2000 as a legacy from his dead dog….The Queen by her late pacification hath gained Greenwich.
- King James is the founding monarch of the United States. Under his reign, we have the first successful colonies planted on the American mainland–Virginia, Massachsetts and Nova Scotia. King James ordered, wrote and authorized this Evangelistic Grant Charter to settle the Colony of Virginia:
“To make habitation…and to deduce a colony of sundry of our people into that part of America, commonly called Virginia…in propogating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness…to bring a settled and quiet government.”
Sources: Wikipedia, http://www.edinburghcity.org.uk/attractions/castle-history/, http://scotlandsmary.com/james-i-vi/, https://www.jesus-is-lord.com/kinginde.htm, http://www.israelitesunite.com/king-james.html
(7)