The Stuart dynasty James I Study Questions

James I James VI of Scotland James I of England (1603 – 1625) Divine right of kings to rule subjection of Parliament to the king’s will. Domestic policy Religious policy Strict conformity to the rites of the Anglican Church. Those who refused to attend the Church of England were fined and excluded from public offices; Puritans (an extreme faction of Protestantism) did not approve of a church governed by bishops and rejected the presence of Catholic rituals in religious ceremonies; Catholics refused to recognize the king’s supremacy in ecclesiastical matters. Exclusion of Catholics and Puritans from public offices.

James I Religious policy Catholics’ “Gunpowder Plot” November 5, 1605 King James’s Bible or “Authorised Version of the Bible” of 1611 used by the Church of England for more than three centuries, great contribution to the spread of literacy and writing James’s choices in religious matters disappointed both Catholics and Puritans who reacted differently. Puritans’ voyage to America on the “Mayflower” in 1620

Study questions 1.What was the internal policy of James I? James I believed in the divine right of kings to rule and this brought about difficult relations between the monarch and Parliament. Moreover, he insisted on strict conformity to the rites of the Anglican Church. 2.What were the main events during his reign? – A plot, organized by English Catholics, which tried to blow up the king and Parliament in session ; the attempt failed and many Catholics were executed. – Persecuted Protestants, known as “Pilgrim Fathers”, sailed to America on the “Mayflower”, where they founded a colony in Massachusetts. 3.Is the birth of the United States in any way related to the religious persecution in England? Yes, New Plymouth, the colony founded by the “Pilgrim Fathers” in Massachusetts, was the first English settlement in North America and the beginning of the future United States.