James I: character, court and his favourites Flashcards
1
Q
when did James become King of England?
A
24 March 1603
2
Q
when did James I die?
A
27 March 1625
3
Q
what was James’ personality like?
A
- king of Scotland since 1567 (at age of 13 months) so already an experienced monarch
- intellectual, outgoing man who enjoyed debate and communicating with people
- he was pragmatic
4
Q
how was Charles I very different from his father James I?
A
- the product of a loving, pampered background
- liked art but not a scholar and was intellectually inflexible
- tested the limits of his power against Parliament time and time again
- deliberately provoked controversy
- shy and hampered by a speech defect
- unapproachable and more damaging, uncommunicative with Parliament
- had none of James’ political shrewdness or flexibility so unwilling to compromise
5
Q
what negativity was there about James’ personality?
A
- earliest detractors included resentful courtier Sir Anthony Weldon
- disappointed at lack of patronage + promotion + anti-Scottish sentiments -> depicted his sovereign as a slobbery, drunken, unhygienic sexual degenerate
- Weldon famously called James ‘the wisest fool in Christendom’
- traditional view survived well into 20th century
- only in 1970s historians started looking afresh at James’ reign -> found a great deal of evidence in his favour
6
Q
what were James’ personal characteristics?
A
- lazy
- some say his court was corrupt and ‘seedy’: he openly displayed affection for male favourites -> active bisexual
- liked to feast and drink in excess
- criticised as drunken, immoral, debauched
- an incorrigible spender - esp to Scottish favourites
- financially extravagant and plainly spendthrift
- warm, informal, affectionate and a good father to his children
- prone to lecturing Parliament on his divine rights which antagonised MPs
7
Q
what was James’ view on the monarchy?
A
- pragmatic when dealing with ambiguity of the balance between royal prerogative and parliamentary privilege in the unwritten constitution
- able to distinguish between the theory and practicalities of ruling
- saw himself as a ‘peacemaker king’ in his foreign policy
- sought compromise + negotiation with PN in England while defending his prerogative
8
Q
what was the nature of the royal court in the personal monarchy of the Stuart Age?
A
royal court was centre of power and the physical manifestation of character and kingship of the monarch
9
Q
what was the court of James I like?
A
- exhibited diff aspects of his personality
- open and lively place that reflected king’s enjoyment of life
- at extreme, criticised as drunken, immoral and debauched
- this arrangement could lead to in-fighting and competition over the king’s patronage between rival interests
- these competing groups often formed factions when they sought the favour of James
10
Q
what were the influences on James?
A
- Scotland had no Parliament in English sense -> met only for a few days at a time and under control of royal councillors
- James learnt to regard its one truly representative institution, the Kirk, as the chief enemy of royal power
- James was a genuine intellectual but reared in an atmosphere of theological pedantry by Calvinist tutors -> given him a propensity to over-theorise about his position and expectations
- came from a very poor country and inclined upon arrival to England to regard its resources as unbounded (which werent)
- became King of Scotland as a baby, amidst domestic turmoil and after the deposition of his Catholic mother -> developed cautious, sometimes fearful disposition
11
Q
how was Parliament divided into two houses?
A
- the great landowners, backed by bishops, sat in the Lords
- the country gentry, merchants, lawyers and financiers drawn from the towns, sat in the Commons
12
Q
what role did Parliament play?
A
- a point of contact between the monarch and the ruled, providing a platform from which to explain royal policies
- it provided a forum in which the political nation could gather and make its views known to the Crown
13
Q
what did landlords compete for and what political issues arised?
A
- competed with each other for influence with the King at court
- formed different factions at court
- good system for king: members of political nation preoccupied with fighting each other for spoils rather than opposing him
14
Q
what were the problems with court factions?
A
- factions gain influence by having their members gain access to the King
- James often had favourites: individuals who monopolise access to him
- certain factions gain excessive influence -> have James’ favourites -> causes problems
- king needed to keep factions competing with each other rather than against him
- needed to balance them: give competing factions power at diff times to encourage their competition with each other
15
Q
how did the Court allow the king to secure the allegiance and cooperation of the landlords?
A
- the King distributed patronage to people in PN usually taking form of titles and land
-> individuals he distributes lots of patronage to become favourites - landlords try to gain access to King by going to court, the King’s extended household
-> can get help from King and those around him, gain influence over him etc
