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James VI and I

King of Scotland from 1566 to 1625, King of England and Ireland from 1603 to 1625

78 dated entries naming James VI and I, drawn from 35 separate years between 1544 CE and 1672 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as James I of England, King James VI, King James VI of Scotland in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

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16th century

  • 154415 August – Peter Young (tutor), tutor to James VI and I.source
  • 156619 June – Mary gives birth to her son James at Edinburgh Castle.source
  • 1566June 19 – King James VI of Scotland/James I of England and Ireland (died 1625)source
  • 156619 June – James VI and I, King of Scotland from 1567 and King of England and Ireland from 1603 (died 1625 in England)source
  • 1567July 24 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is forced to abdicate, and replaced by her one-year-old son James VI.source
  • 156724 July – Abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots (at Lochleven Castle), in favour of her 1-year-old son James VI.source
  • 1567December 12 – The Scottish Parliament votes to approve the Act Anent the demission of the Crown in favour of our Sovereign Lord, and his Majesty's Coronation 1567, an act regarding the abdication of Mary Queen of Scots in favor of her son James VI and the coronation of James, and confirms James as the legal ruler. Mary's half brother, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, is appointed as the regent to rule on behalf of the 18-month-old King of Scotland. In that Moray is absent from Scotland at the time, the Parliament appoints a committee of seven deputy regents to rule on behalf of Moray's power to rule on behalf of King James.source
  • 1571April 2 – Dumbarton Castle is recaptured from Lord Fleming by the forces of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, the Regent for King James VI of Scotland.source
  • 1571September 5 – John Erskine, Earl of Mar is selected by the Scottish royal family to be the new Regent of Scotland to rule on behalf of the 5-year-old King James VI. The Earl of Mar replaces Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, the King's grandfather, who was assassinated the day before by supporters of his daughter-in-law the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots.source
  • 1574December 12 – Anne of Denmark, queen of James VI and I of Scotland and England (died 1619)source
  • 157911-year old James VI declares the end of his minority and assumes personal rule.source
  • 1579October 19 – King James VI of Scotland makes his ceremonial entry into Edinburgh to assume the throne at the age of 13, after being declared to have reached the age of majority. Scotland had been ruled by regents since 1567, when James was declared king.source
  • 1582April 14 – King James VI of Scotland signs a charter creating the Tounis College, which becomes the University of Edinburgh.source
  • 1582August 23 – Raid of Ruthven in Scotland: Presbyterian nobles led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie kidnap King James VI of Scotland, the kingdom's 16-year-old ruler, while he is hunting in Perthshire. The Earl of Gowrie imprisons the King at Ruthven Castle as part of a coup d'etat to reform the Scottish government.source
  • 1583June – James VI regains his freedom following the Raid of Ruthven.source
  • 1583June 27 – Ten months after being taken hostage on August 23, 1582 in the Raid of Ruthven, the 17-year-old King James VI of Scotland is able to escape Falkland Prison and flees to safety in St. Andrews.source
  • 1589August 20 – King James VI of Scotland, the future James I of England, contracts a proxy marriage with the 14-year-old Anne of Denmark at Kronborg. The formal ceremony takes place on November 23 at the Old Bishop's Palace in Oslo.source
  • 158920 August – Anne of Denmark marries James VI by proxy at Kronborg Castle. James's proxy George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal made speeches and gave her a jewel.source
  • 158923 November – James VI and Anne of Denmark marry formally at the Old Bishop's Palace in Oslosource
  • 15901 May – King James VI and Anne of Denmark arrive at Leith.source
  • 1591Burgh of Cockenzie created by James VIsource
  • 1591December 27 – Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell leads the attack on the Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. Having been alerted by a premature attack on the palace's prison, King James VI of Scotland and Queen Anne are able to take refuge within the castle, and the raid fails. Seven of Bothwell's men are subsequently captured and hanged.source
  • 1592June – James VI enacts the "Golden Act" recognising the power of Presbyterianism within the Scottish church.source
  • 1594October 3 – The Battle of Glenlivet in Scotland: The Protestant forces loyal to King James VI, assisted by the armies of 8 clans and led by the Earl of Argyll, oppose Roman Catholic rebels supported by Clan Gordon (led by the Earl of Huntley), Clan Hay (led by the Earl of Errol), Clan Comyn and Clan Cameron. Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, the Catholic clans win the battle, killing 500 of the Protestant forces.source
  • 159917 December – King James VI, via an act of his Privy Council, decided that Scotland should come into line with other "well governit commonwealths" and adopts 1 January as New Year’s Day. Prior to this 25 March was New Year’s Day. Thus the year 1599 commenced on 25 March 1599 and ended on 31 December 1599 - it was only 9 months long. The next date, in Scotland, was 1 January 1600. This left Scotland at odds with England, where the new year continued to be dated from 25 March. As a consequence 1 January 1600 in Scotland was 1 January 1599 in England. It is sometimes, mistakenly, said that Scotland adopted the Gregorian Calendar at this time. Whilst starting the new year on 1 January was one component of Gregorian reforms, Scotland did not adopt the two more fundamental changes in relation to (1) the computation for leap years and (2) the realignment of the calendar with the solar year, which necessitated the omission of ten days from the existing calendar. Scotland, along with England and Wales, adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 under the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 by which time the omission of eleven days from the older calendar was required.source
  • 1600August 5 – The brothers Alexander Ruthven and John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, are killed during a failed attempt to kidnap or murder King James VI of Scotland at their home.source
  • 16005 August – the Gowrie House affair, a plot to kidnap James VI in Perth, in which Robert Logan of Restalrig is implicated, devised by John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (who dies in the attempt, together with his brother Alexander Ruthven)source

17th century

  • 1603March 24 – James VI of Scotland becomes King James I of England and Ireland upon the death of Elizabeth I in England (but the news is withheld from the Irish leaders in treaty negotiations).source
  • 1603March 24 – Queen Elizabeth I of England dies at Richmond Palace (having ruled since 1558). She is succeeded by her first cousin twice removed, King James VI of Scotland (where he has ruled since 1567), uniting the crowns of Scotland and England.source
  • 1603November 17 – Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason, in the converted Great Hall of Winchester Castle. He is found guilty, but his life is spared by King James I at this time, and he is returned to imprisonment in the Tower of London.source
  • 1604January 14 – The Hampton Court Conference is held between James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of the Puritans. Work begins on the Authorized King James Version of the Bible and revision of the Book of Common Prayer.source
  • 1604February 14 – King James of England denounces the Roman Catholic Church after learning from one of his spies, Sir Anthony Standen, that Queen Anne has been sent a rosary from the Pope.source
  • 1604March 15 – More than seven months after their July 25, 1603 coronation, King James I and Anne, Queen consort make the traditional Royal Entry to London. The ceremonies have been postponed from 1603 because of the ongoing plague.source
  • 1605January 7 – Shakespeare's play Henry V, copyrighted 1600, is given its earliest recorded performance, presented by the Lord Chamberlain's Men for King James I of England.source
  • 1605November – Scottish adventurer James Hamilton is granted the lordship of Upper (South) Clandeboye and the Great Ardes in the north of County Down by King James VI and I.source
  • 1605November 5 (O.S.) – The Gunpowder Plot, a scheme to bomb England's Palace of Westminster during the opening of Parliament, is foiled after Sir Thomas Knyvet is tipped off, and finds Catholic plotter Guy Fawkes in a cellar below the Parliament building. Knyvet orders a search of the area and 36 barrels of gunpowder are found. Fawkes is arrested for trying to assassinate King James I and the members who had been scheduled to sit together in Parliament the next day.source
  • 1606January 24 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators, for plotting against Parliament and James I of England, begins in London. They are hanged, drawn and quartered on January 30–31.source
  • 1606April 10 – Charter of 1606: The First Charter of Virginia is adopted, by which King James I of England grants rights to the Virginia Company (comprising the London Company and Plymouth Company) to settle parts of the east coast of North America.source
  • 1606July 24 – King Christian IV of Denmark, as the guest of his brother-in-law, King James of England, Scotland and Ireland, is welcomed at London, and the two monarchs are driven by coaches to a banquet at Theobalds House at Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. They are entertained by playwright Ben Jonson's play, The Entertainment of the Kings of Great Britain and Denmark.source
  • 1608April 20 – Old Bushmills Distillery is first licensed to distil whiskey at Bushmills, County Antrim, Ireland by King James I.source
  • 1608April 20 – Old Bushmills Distillery is first licensed to distil whiskey at Bushmills, County Antrim, by King James I.source
  • 1609Protestant English and Presbyterian Scots settlers are imported directly by undertakers with the sanction of King James VI and I taking over forfeited estates of rebel leaders.source
  • 1609James I issues letters patent granting the Church of St. Colman in Dromore the title and status of The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer.source
  • 161210 April – a royal charter of King James VI and I creates the City and County of Londonderry, and The Honourable The Irish Society to run the new plantation.source
  • 1613King James I commissions George Calvert, Sir Humphrey Wynch, Sir Charles Cornwallis and Sir Roger Wilbraham to investigate Catholic grievances in Ireland. They report that conformity should be enforced more strictly, Catholic schools be suppressed, and bad priests removed and punished.source
  • 1613January 20 – King James I of England successfully mediates the Treaty of Knäred between Denmark and Sweden.source
  • 1613February 14 – Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England, marries Elector Frederick V of the Palatinate.source
  • 1614February 14 (February 4 O.S.) – King James I of England issues his proclamation Against Private Challenges and Combats in an effort to end duels.source
  • 1614April 2 – James I rebukes a deputation from the Catholic opposition in the Parliament of Ireland.source
  • 1615March 10 – John Ogilvie, a Jesuit priest, is hanged and drawn at Glasgow Cross in Scotland for refusing to pledge allegiance to King James VI of Scotland; he will be canonised in 1976, becoming the only post-Reformation Scottish saint.source
  • 161524 October – James I's Parliament of Ireland is dissolved (its third session having been held 18 April–16 May).source
  • 1616Moralist writer John Deacon publishes a quarto entitled Tobacco Tortured in the Filthy Fumes of Tobacco Refined (supporting the views of James I of England). Deacon writes the same year that syphilis is a "Turkished", "Spanished", or "Frenchized" disease that the English contract by "trafficking with the contagious courruptions."source
  • 1616January 1 – King James I of England attends the masque The Golden Age Restored, a satire by Ben Jonson on fallen court favorite the Earl of Somerset. The king asks for a repeat performance on January 6.source
  • 1616January 3 – In the court of James I of England, the king's favorite George Villiers becomes Master of the Horse (encouraging development of the thoroughbred horse); on April 24 he receives the Order of the Garter; and on August 27 he is created Viscount Villiers and Baron Waddon, receiving a grant of land valued at £80,000. In 1617, he will be made Earl of Buckingham. After the Earl of Pembroke, he is the second richest nobleman in England.source
  • 1616February 1 – James I of England grants Ben Jonson an annual pension of 100 marks, making him de facto poet laureate.source
  • 1616May 25 – King James I of England's former favourite, the Earl of Somerset, and his wife Frances, are convicted of the murder of Thomas Overbury in 1613. They are spared death, and are sentenced to imprisonment in the Tower of London (until 1622). Although the King has ordered the investigation of the poet's murder and allowed his former court favorite to be arrested and tried, his court, now under the influence of George Villiers, gains the reputation of being corrupt and vile. The sale of peerages (beginning in July) and the royal visit of James's brother-in-law, Christian IV of Denmark, a notorious drunkard, add further scandal.source
  • 1616November 4 – Prince Charles (15-year-old surviving son of James I of England and Anne of Denmark) is invested as Prince of Wales at Whitehall in London, the last such formal investiture until 1911.source
  • 1616November 5 – Bishop Lancelot Andrewes preaches the annual Gunpowder Treason sermon before King James I of England at Whitehall, both having been intended victims of the plot.source
  • 1616November 6 – Captain William Murray is granted a royal patent, giving him the sole privilege of importing tobacco to Scotland for a period of 21 years. Continuing from the reign of Elizabeth I, the creation of grants and patents reaches a new highwater mark from 1614 to 1621, during the reign of James I of England.source
  • 1616November 16 – Marco Antonio de Dominis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of the See of Spalato and Primate of Dalmatia, having run afoul of Pope Paul V over secular matters relating to Venice, submits to King James I of England and later becomes Dean of Windsor.source
  • 1616December 25 – Captain Nathaniel Courthope reaches the nutmeg-rich island of Run in the Moluccas, to defend it against the Dutch East India Company. A contract with the inhabitants, accepting James I of England as their sovereign, makes it part of the English colonial empire.source
  • 1616December 25 – "Father Christmas" is a main character of Christmas, His Masque, written by Ben Jonson and presented at the court of King James I of England. Father Christmas is considered a papist symbol by Puritans, and later banished from England until the English Restoration. The traditional, comical costume for this jolly figure, as well as regional names, indicate that he is descended from the presenter of the medieval Feast of Fools.source
  • 1617January 5 – Pocahontas and Tomocomo of the Powhatan Algonquian tribe, in the Virginia colony of America, meet King James I of England as his guests, at the Banqueting House at Whitehall.source
  • 1617May 13 – King James I of England is escorted by the Earl of Home across the border to return to Scotland (where he reigns as King James VI) for the first time since the Union of the Crowns 14 years earlier in 1603. He is given lodging at Home's Dunglass Castle, East Lothian.source
  • 1617August 8 – King James of England and Scotland returns to England after having spent three months in Scotland, arriving at Wharton, Cumbria.source
  • 1618October 29 – English adventurer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded at the Palace of Westminster, for allegedly conspiring treasonably against James I of England in 1603, following pressure from the Spanish government, over his attack on their settlement on the Orinoco, on his last (1617–18) voyage.source
  • 1619January 12 – James I of England's Banqueting House, Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. Inigo Jones is commissioned to design a replacement.source
  • 1619March 2 – Anne of Denmark, Queen of James I of England (born 1574)source
  • 1620Bangor, County Down, is granted the status of a port by King James I of England.source
  • 1620January 7 – Ben Jonson's play News from the New World Discovered in the Moon is given its first performance, a presentation to King James VI and I. In addition to dialogue about actual observations made by telescope of the Moon, the play includes a fanciful discussion of a lunar civilisation, featuring a dance by the "Volatees", the lunar race.source
  • 1621King James I of England claims royal inheritance of the whole of Upper Ossory in County Laois including the manor of Offerlane from the de Clare family at an inquisition held at Portlaoise. The king institutes a plantation of the area in 1626.source
  • 1622February 8 – King James I of England dissolves the English Parliament.source
  • 1624February 19 – The last parliament of King James I of England begins its session.source
  • 1624September 24 – King James approves a revised programme of reform for the Plantation of County Londonderry.source
  • 1625March 27 – Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland succeeds to the throne on the death of his father, King James VI and I.source
  • 1625March 27 – Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland upon the death of his father James I.source
  • 1625March 27 – King James VI of Scotland/James I of England and Ireland (born 1566)source
  • 1672March – Archibald Armstrong, court jester to James VI and I and Charles I of Englandsource

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