King James VI and I: Political Writings

by James VI and I, Johann P. Sommerville (Editor)

James VI and I united the crowns of England and Scotland. His books are fundamental sources of the principles which underlay the union. In particular, his Basilicon Doron was a best-seller in England and circulated widely on the Continent. Among the most important and influential British writings of their period, the king's works shed light on the political climate of Shakespeare's England and the intellectual background to the civil wars which afflicted Britain in the mid-17th century.

James' political philosophy was a moderated absolutism, with an emphasis on the monarch's duty to rule according to law and the public good. Locke quoted his speech to Parliament of 1610 approvingly, and Hobbes likewise praised "our most wise king."

This edition is the first to draw on all the early texts of James' books. Contents include:

• Basilicon Doron
• The Trew Law of Free Monarchies
• Triplici Nodo, Triplex Cuneus. Or, An Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance
• A Meditation upon the 27th, 28th and 29th Verses of the 27th Chapter of Saint Matthew
• His Maiestes Declaration, Touching his Proceedings in the Late Assemblie and Conuention of Parliament
• speeches to Parliament and in Star Chamber

Genres: Politics, Philosophy

380 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

James VI, the son of Mary Stuart, queen, reigned from 1567 over Scotland and from 1603 succeeded as James I, the heir of Elizabeth I of England; his belief in the divine right and his attempts to abolish Parliament and to suppress Presbyterianism created resentment that led to the Civil War, but from Hebrew and Greek, his auspices sponsored the translation of the King James Bible , published in 1611.

People forced Mary Stuart, the Catholic monarch and queen of Scotland, in 1567 to abdicate in favor of James, her son.

His sovereignty extended of Ireland. This poet and religious scholar wrote of politics. He convened the known Hampton court conference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_V...

Reviews

[W. Littlejohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot to put this one up--read this a little while back as part of my survey of late sixteenth-century political thought--or rather, I read the two most important parts of it: the Basilikon Doron and the Trew Lawe of Free Monarchies. I first read the latter back in freshman year, in History class. I remember being impressed even then with the winsomeness of James's argument, and surprised at myself, such an anti-federalist then, for being so attracted to a "royal absolutist." But the appeal was still there this time around, and I couldn't help but find myself cheering along when he scored points against the Presbyterians. I'm still not sure what it is, but I have this vague idea that the sober realism with which someone like James views the limitations of the political sphere, and the need to simply live with those limitations and trust God to judge and failures, actually, "royal absolutist" or not, may support a more limited government than the kind of political perfectionism of rebellious republicans, for all its talk of putting checks upon the power of kings. I felt the same way when I read De Maistre, whose perspective is remarkably similar to James. Anyway, it's still just a vague hunch--if anyone has any light to shed on it, please do.

The Basilikon Doron is a remarkably wise and eloquent letter of instruction to his son Charles on the virtues necessary to be a good king--if reading this little gem doesn't turn you into a Jacobite sympathizer, nothing will.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basilicon Doron: This is a princely guidebook, roughly in the vein of something like Machiavelli's The Prince, but with more of a focus on a balanced kingship. James wrote Basilicon Doron for his son Henry, to advise the prince on how to behave when he became king. It consists of three sections. The first focuses on a monarch's Christian duties--basically, be a good Christian, obey the scriptures, be humble before God who put you on the throne, and don't trust the Catholics or especially the puritans. The second portion is where the real meat of Basilicon Doron comes, since it focuses on how to be a good monarch and to rule wisely and well. This section covers a lot of ground, from how to enact and enforce just laws, to choosing courtiers who reflect well on the king, to how to marry and behave towards one's wife, to profiles of the three estates of early modern society (the Church, the nobility, and the burghers--merchants and craftspeople). James focuses on the distinction between a good king and a tyrant, urging Henry/the reader to aspire to be a good king while eschewing the behaviors of a tyrant. Then the last section focuses on personal behaviors to make Henry appear a competent, mannered human being. This section includes advice like don't eat too much, eat relatively plain hearty food, dress nicely but not ostentatiously, learn rhetoric, play sports that will keep your body healthy and prepare you for war, etc.
https://youtu.be/J7Jhy4IxgDU

The Trew Law of Free Monarchies: Not exactly a companion piece to Basilicon Doron, but Trew law is definitely interested in the same kinds of issues. Here James makes pretty focused argument for the absolute monarchy, grounding the claims in his readings of the Bible, Scottish history, common monarchical practice, and argument by analogy. Although James does argue--as he does in Basilicon Doron--that monarchs should rule justly and wisely, the focus of Trew Law is much more on how it doesn't matter from a subject's position whether the monarch rules justly or wisely, they still have a duty of absolute submission. He argues that there is no just or ethical basis for subjects trying to overthrow or even challenge their rulers.
https://youtu.be/EDYlGUiVRVg