James VI (Of Scotland) = James I of England

It was Great Britain… The Year Was 1567

A future leader was born… He was a weak and sick child

Mary, Queen of Scots Mommy Dearest (Bloody Mary) – Don’t say her name three times in front of a mirror.

Elizabeth I, Queen of England

When Elizabeth died in 1603, James became King of both Scotland & England!

James loathed violence and was very insecure James loathed violence and was very insecure. In fact, he wore heavily padded clothing most of his life as a method of protecting himself from being stabbed

he had a tendency to claim more power for himself than he should he had a tendency to claim more power for himself than he should. He knighted 300 people alone on his way to London.

The Divine Right of Kings This concept was brought to England, from Scotland, by James VI In order to grasp this idea, you have to know what the term absolute monarch means…

ABSOLUTE MONARCH This term refers to a king, queen, emperor, empress who rules using unlimited power!!! In simple terms… they do what they want and don’t worry about what other people need or want

James VI believed his power came from God…

He justified this by claiming that God had chosen him to rule… Just a bit of censorship! 

Therefore, he had the same power as God, but here on Earth! He could raise taxes without asking He could send you to war at any time He could sell your land He could make laws that no one could question…

James died in 1625. The doctors at the time thought it was not life-threatening but James would not heed their advice and drank large amounts of cold beer to dilute his fever. There is some suggestion that he was poisoned but no proof.

Now for something completely different: Witches The pixies did it!!!

Matthew Hopkins: Witch-finder General

MATTHEW HOPKINS – “Witch-Finder General” Witches. The East was full of them. But one man planned to change all that, to remove the Devil’s emissaries from God’s own lands. His name was Matthew Hopkins and he was able to use the Civil War to bring about England’s worst-ever witchcraft persecution. The whole East burned with Hopkins’ terrible light as witch-hunts sprang up everywhere. We don’t know exactly how many died; estimates vary from one hundred to three times that number. But regardless of numbers, everyone in the area was afflicted by fear of witches and fear of being thought a witch. Hopkins was able to amass a large amount of evidence from local people who disliked or feared the accused. Hopkins actively sought out complainants by riding up and down the countryside asking people if there were any witches in the locale. He found fertile ground in communities where neighbours harboured grudges against each other that went back decades. Many were willing and eager to testify. Religious divisions became a factor as well. Modern historians sometimes think Hopkins was motivated by simple lust, but his choice of women suggests otherwise. He chose old women, not beautiful young girls. Hopkins likely saw his actions as heroic as he believed he was trying to help these women. However, most likely he was motivated by money as he was paid for each trial that occurred. -Excerpt from “The English Civil War” by Diane Purkiss