King james vi biography of william
King james vi biography of william hamilton.
Early Years
The birth of James Stuart at Edinburgh Castle on June 19, 1566, came at a tumultuous time in Scotland’s history. His Catholic mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, ruled a kingdom in the grips of the Protestant Reformation; his English father, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was estranged from Mary, who was frustrating his political ambitions at court.
King james vi biography of william
Indeed, three months earlier Darnley had participated in the murder of Mary’s secretary, David Rizzio, in the pregnant queen’s presence, a crime that she feared was part of a plot against her as well. Darnley refused to attend James’s baptism, a lavish ceremony held on December 17, 1566, in the chapel at Stirling Castle, but he and Mary seem to have reconciled enough to be living together again a few months later.
On February 10, 1567, a gunpowder explosion destroyed Darnley’s lodgings at Kirk o’ Field; his strangled corpse lay in the back garden. Suspicion fell upon the queen and her close adviso