The last king of only Scotland
The first place I looked in studying the Stuart kings of Britain was in Sir Walter Scott’s “Tales of a Grandfather”. It was written for his twelve-year-old grandson and not only makes easy reading but is written by a master story teller. Here is a sample:- “James’s (VI and 1st) reign of Scotland was marked with so many circumstances of difficulty … compelled to conduct himself with the strictest attention to the rules of prudence … he could not even give an entertainment without begging poultry and venison from some of his more wealthy subjects; and his wardrobe was so ill furnished, that he was obliged to request the loan of a pair of silk hose from the Earl of Mar, that he might be suitably appareled to receive the Spanish ambassador.”
Now imagine this man being thrust into the pomp and ceremony of the English court, where he was head of the church rather than harangued by ministers of the Kirk, and cease to wonder why he wanted to make Scotland’s institutions, especially the Kirk, like those of England. But also think of how England’s nobles would take advantage of him, how he would feel when he realised what they were doing and what his reaction would be.