ABSTRACT
In 1603, King James VI of Scotland succeeded to the throne of England and soon made it clear that one of his main aims was to unite the two kingdoms. This political change, it is commonly assumed, coincided with a sudden drop in dramatisations of the past. It is crucial to remember that the chronicles that Shakespeare so successfully adapted in the 1590s, often copying large chunks verbatim, were all conceived and produced under Tudor rule. Performing the Scottish past to an English audience now ruled by a monarch of Scottish descent who wished to unite the two kingdoms was beset by a number of difficulties, not least for Shakespeare. Elizabeth had massively profited from a proliferation of historical writing, encouraged particularly by Henry VIII. When James ascended to the throne of England, he seems to have been very much aware of the popularity of Tudor history and its potential political usefulness for establishing positive relationship with his new subjects.
