2021-06-19 Sat

James VI and I were King of Scotland and King of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union.

In Scotland, James was "James the sixth, King of Scotland", until 1604. He was proclaimed "James the first, King of England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith" in London on 24 March 1603.[186] On 20 October 1604, James issued a proclamation at Westminster changing his style to "King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c." The style was not used on English statutes but was used on proclamations, coinage, letters, treaties, and in Scotland. James styled himself "King of France", in line with other monarchs of England between 1340 and 1801, although he did not actually rule France.

Depicted here is a gold coin from 1609 – 1625. The obverse of a coin depicts the half-length armored figure of king right, wearing a Scottish crown and holding an orb and scepter. The reverse of a coin shows thistle Crowned coat-of-arms dividing I R, Scottish arms in 1st and 4th quarters.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org