James, the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, was born at Edinburgh Castle and raised to the throne by Lords who had forced his mother to abdicate after her defeat at Carberry Hill in June 1567. He was raised in an austere and sometimes brutal way by protestants, who did, however, provide him with a good education.

Following a period of regency James proved to be a diplomatic ruler who effectively controlled the various religious and political factions in Scotland until he succeeded Elizabeth I as the first Stuart king of England in 1603.

He then ruled Scotland from a distance, employing old noble families and professional administrators to keep him informed. James married Anne, daughter of Frederick II of Norway and Denmark, and had seven children with her, one of whom succeeded him as Charles I.