James VI & I's Desire to Create a Perfect Union Between Scotland and England
After succeeding the English thrown in 1603, James VI & I of Scotland
and England aimed to create the 'perfect union'. In 1604 he proclaimed
himself king of Britain and attempted full unification of the nations.
This was to involve uniting the Scottish and English parliaments, the
church and the legal systems. It also included free trade, repeal of
hostile laws and the renewal of borders. James's plan to create a
perfect union was not to be successful for numerous reasons. This
essay will discuss the opposing views held by the Scottish and English
parliaments and the objections from the church. It will consider the
ongoing hostile attitude held by both nations the economic concerns
that arose with the prospect of unification. In addition to these,
there was a concern surrounding the issue of one Monarch ruling
several kingdoms in a situation of multi-governance. It will suggest
therefore, despite the attempts of James VI & I to create a perfect
union, there were numerous factors that contributed to his failure.
Before the Union of the Crowns in 1603, James VI of Scotland showed
clear intentions of the unification of Scotland and England by calling
himself, 'a new Arthur about to unite the kingdoms'.[1] Believing he
was granted his position God, Britain was to be his empire that would
headed by James. James believed in the divine right and expressed his
view in a speech in 1610 claiming, 'Kings are justly called gods for
that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power upon the
earth'.[2] He would be sovereign in the great kingdom of Britain. For
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...ingdoms or Core
and Colonies', in Transactions of
The Royal Historical Society, 1992, p184
[9] Warmald, J., 'The Creating of Britain: Multiple Kingdoms or Core
and Colonies', in Transactions of
The Royal Historical Society, 1992, p177
[10] Brown, K., M., 1992, p86-87
[11] Warmald, J., 'The Creating of Britain: Multiple Kingdoms or Core
and Colonies', in Transactions of
The Royal Historical Society, 1992, p177
[12] Lynch, M., 2004, p238
[13] Willson, D., H., 1963, p254
[14] Smith A., G., R., 1984, p251-252
[15] Lynch, M., 2004, p242
[16] Lynch, M., 2004, p239
[17] Lockyer, R., 1998, p124-p125
[18] Warmald, J., 'The Creating of Britain: Multiple Kingdoms or Core
and Colonies', in Transactions of The Royal Historical Society, 1992,
p184
[19] Brown, K., M., 1992, p8-9
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