Fact of the day

James VI of Scotland (and I of England) was born today in 1566. The son of Mary Queen of Scots, James became the first ruler of Britain in 1603, with the death of Elizabeth I of England (Mary's cousin). James was an intelligent and capable man but for various reasons was not a popular monarch in England. His son, Charles proved even less popular and became the catalyst of the disastrous Civil War that (temporarily) ended royal rule in Britain. For more information on King James visit heritage.scotsman.com

James the VI and I was also the royal patron who commanded the work of creating a revised and improved version of The Bishop's Bible which, when finished, came to be called The King James Bible.