James I: the phoenix king

James's reign marked one of the very rare major breaks in England's monarchy.

Already James VI of Scotland and a highly experienced ruler who had established his authority over the Scottish Kirk, he marched south on Elizabeth I's death to become James I of England and Ireland, uniting the British Isles for the first time and founding the Stuart dynasty which would, with several lurches, reign for over a century.

Indeed his descendant still occupies the throne. A complex, curious man and great survivor, James drastically changed court life in London and presided over such major projects as the Authorised Version of the Bible and the establishment of English settlements in Virginia, Massachusetts, Gujarat and the Caribbean.