The Pros And Cons Of James Stuart

In 1603, James Stuart became King James I of England, uniting the countries of England and Scotland under a single ruler for the first time. The English Crown would have given James lots of wealth and prestige but it would also present him with many problems. This report will aim to explore both the positive and negatives aspects of four key areas - the political system, the social hierarchy, the economy and religion – and to assess the situation that James would have been in when he first began to rule England.

The Political System

The political system of England in 1603 was very different to how it is today. The national government consisted of three bodies: the Crown, Parliament and the Privy Council. The Crown theoretically had absolute

Then there was the aristocracy, who were people with titles (such as duke, earl or baron). They either received their title by inheritance or were granted it by the king or queen. Usually they were rich and powerful with large households, and in total the aristocracy owned about 15% of the land in England. Therefore, since they had so much power and influence, it was vital that James maintained their loyalty and support. Unlike in France and Spain during this period, the aristocracy had to pay taxes which meant that the House of Lords often sided with the House of Commons in opposing the Crown’s request for taxation, which could pose a problem to James if he was ever in financial

Since there was a higher demand for food and other necessities, there was lots of inflation. Prices rose considerably – food prices went up by about 75%! However wages did not rise alongside prices. One reason for this was the Statute of Artificers which set upper wage limits for skilled workers (such as butchers and carpenters) and meant that as prices rose their wages could not. Many people therefore would have been angry at the government’s mishandling of the economy and would be anxious for reform. The poor were harmed by inflation which resulted in them becoming poorer, but additionally the monarchy and aristocracy faced financial problems as they often rented out their land on long leases with fixed amounts of rent (so as prices rose the rent that they received was worth less). However, for some groups in society population growth proved beneficial. Many people who owned their land outright were able to make more money as the demand for food increased. Additionally there was a growing trade for wool which resulted in sheep farming becoming a worthwhile job. Merchants also grew wealthier and some were able to buy land and move up into the ranks of the gentry. The lesser gentry typically managed their land themselves instead of renting it out so did well financially and improved their wealth and status. This may have been a problem for James as if the gentry became