ABSTRACT
King James, who became ruler of England, Wales and Ireland in March 1603 on the death of Queen Elizabeth, had been King James VI of Scotland ever since the enforced abdication of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, in 1567. Typically, James, When given a public platform in parliaments could not resist allowing debates on specific topics to broaden out into discussions on fundamental constitutional principles. For generations, historians accused him, after the union of crowns of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, of putting the country on to 'a high road to civil war' by the time he died in 1625. James's vision of himself as rex pacificus and international peacemaker dominated his conduct of English foreign policy. Puritans were those whose lifestyles were more influenced than others by Protestant principles and who were more concerned than others to reform the Church. The seriousness of financial situation and its implications for continued political and constitutional stability have already been emphasized.
