King James I of England

Hello. My name is James Charles Stuart. You might know me as King James I of England, but my story actually begins in Scotland. I was born in the grand Edinburgh Castle on June 19th, 1566. My mother was the famous Mary, Queen of Scots. Life started for me in a very unusual way. Before I could even walk or talk, when I was just 13 months old, my mother gave up her throne in 1567, and I was crowned King James VI of Scotland. Of course, a baby can't rule a country, so wise nobles helped govern Scotland while I grew up. I spent my childhood studying hard, and I absolutely loved books and learning everything I could about the world.

As I grew into a man, I ruled Scotland for many years. Far to the south, in England, my distant cousin Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne. We were family, but we ruled separate kingdoms. Queen Elizabeth was a powerful ruler, but she never had any children to take her place. When she passed away in the year 1603, I was her closest living relative, which meant I was next in line to rule England, too. I traveled from Scotland down to London to accept the English crown. It was a very important moment in history. For the first time, one king—me.—ruled both Scotland and England. I had a vision of a new, united kingdom, and I decided to call it Great Britain.

Being the king of two countries wasn't always easy. There were people who were not happy with my rule. In 1605, I faced a very scary moment. A group of men, including one you might have heard of named Guy Fawkes, planned something terrible. They hid barrels of gunpowder underneath the Houses of Parliament, hoping to blow it up while I was inside. We discovered their plan on the night of November 5th, just in time. To this day, people in Britain light bonfires and fireworks on that night to remember that the king and the government were saved. But I also wanted to do things that would bring people together. I knew how important the Bible was to my people, so I gathered a team of the best scholars. Together, they worked for years to create a new English translation that everyone could read and understand. In 1611, it was finally printed. This book became known as the King James Bible, and it is still one of the most widely read books in the entire world. I also helped support the first permanent English settlement in America, which was named Jamestown in my honor in 1607.

I spent the rest of my life working to keep the peace and lead my united kingdom. I lived to be 58 years old, and my son Charles became king after my time on Earth was done in 1625. I am remembered today as the king who brought the crowns of Scotland and England together, paving the way for the country of Great Britain. And, of course, I am remembered for the King James Bible, a book that has shared its beautiful words with people all across the globe for hundreds of years.