SCOTLAND. James VI, 1567-1625

Before accession to the English throne

Balance Merk, 1591. Sixth Coinage. Crowned shield with thistles in side fields.
Rev. Crossed sword and balance. S.5491. A remarkable type, with the distinctive legend HIS DIFFERT REGE TYRANNIS, which translates as "in these a tyrant differs from a king."
1591
Ex.Montagu

Charles I was born in Dunfermline, was born in 1600. He was made the Duke of York at the age of five and the Prince of Wales in 1616.

When James I died in 1625, his son Charles became king. Later that year, Charles married Henrietta Maria, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Henri IV of France. As Henrietta Maria was a Roman Catholic, this marriage was not very popular with the English people. The Puritans were particularly unhappy when they heard that the king had promised that Henrietta Maria would be allowed to practise her religion freely and would have the responsibility for the upbringing of their children until they reached the age of 13.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE