King James I of England and VI of Scotland with Charles Prince of Wales. Engraving by W. van de Passe, ca. 1625.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Engraving by C.G., 161-.

Twenty kings and queens of England. Engraving by J.W. Cook, 1825.

King James I and VI, with four Scottish writers: Robert Burns, John (?) Home, Allan Ramsay, and James Beattie. Engraving.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland, and his consort Anne of Denmark, in a landscape. Engraving by J. Wierix, 161-.

Wadham College, Oxford: aerial panoramic view with historic figures in the foreground. Line engraving by G. Vertue, 1738.

King James I of England on his deathbed, attended by courtiers trying to poison him. Etching by or after W. Hollar, ca. 1672.

King James VI of Scotland and I of England as a child, kneeling in front of an altar next to the tomb of his father, with his family behind him on the right. Engraving by G. Vertue, ca. 1743, after L. de Vogelaare.

King James's College, Chelsea: bird's eye view looking south with boats on the river. Engraving by I. Barlow.

Dæmonologie, in forme of a dialogve, divided into three books / Written by Iames ... King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland.

The workes of the most high and mightie prince, James, by the grace of God Kinge of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland ... / Published by James [Montagu] Bishop of Winton.

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xv, 224 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

The sickly Stuarts : the medical downfall of a dynasty / Frederick Holmes.

James I, half length to right in oval within a trompe l'oeil box-frame, wearing a hat and a fur-trimmed mantle and the George

1 print : engraving ; platemark 19 x 12.3 cm

King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Engraving, 1620 (?).

The first in a trilogy of programmes presented by the historian Lucy Worsley which studies the medical problems of monarchs with the premise that by looking at their belongings and letters we can tell their intimate secrets - and these are what defined their actions. Worsley's first artefact is a pisspot excavated from Henry VIII's privy garden at Hampton Court. She considers the many ways that the king may have tried to boost his sperm count when it was clear that his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was unlikely to bear him further children after she reached the age of 40. Several wives later, he had his desired son - Edward. Edward was the first monarch to write an intimate diary; he wrote about the injustices of being a child monarch and complained about his guardian and uncle (Somerset). He died at 15 after contracting a fever (probably tuberculosis). His elder sister Mary became queen and 3 months after she was married, she became pregnant. As was the custom she retired from public view. However, despite all appearances, she never had a baby. A text about childbirth at the time by Eucharius Rösslin (The Birth of Mankind) was available in English but there were no diagnostic tests for pregnancy and Mary would not have been examined so no one knows whether this was a phantom pregnancy She died 3 years later, probably of cancer. Elizabeth I is side-stepped. Next Worsley looks at the Stuart dynasty; King James and his heir. From contemporary accounts it was clear that James preferred the company of young men which changed the nature of court-life; his favourite was Buckingham. James' heir, Henry was a robust youth but he contracted typhoid and died. The next in line, Charles I had a problem walking as a child and he had orthopaedic boots made for him (attributed to rickets). By accounts he was very introverted as a person, growing up in the shadow of his preferred elder brother; he had a stammer. Political unrest and the civil war put a temporary end to the British monarchy.

Fit to rule : how royal illness changed medical history. Part 1.Tudors to Stuarts: From Gods to Men.

Left, King James I, seated, holding a sword and a skull; right, King Charles I as Prince of Wales, holding a skull. According to the British Museum online catalogue, there is an earlier state, dating from after the death of Henry Frederick Prince of Wales (1612), in which the prince is named as "Charles": this is likely to have been produced in 1621. The present state is later, still showing the same prince's portrait as before, but with the name changed to "Henrii". This is assumed to date from 1625, when Charles became King and so ceased to be Prince of Wales. The same face was retained as before, since the two brothers (Henry Frederick and Charles) looked quite similar to each other

1 print : engraving ; platemark 30.4 x 20.7 cm

x, 213 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, genealogical tables, portraits ; 23 cm

James VI of Scotland / [by] Caroline Bingham.

Early English books online

By the King : a proclamation for the reliefe of the poore, and remedying the high prices of corne.

The Kings most excellent Maiestie, condsidering what perill oftentimes ensueth by the meanes of great assemblies of people in the time of infectious diseases.

The spreading of the infection in our citie of London, and in the places next about it, doeth giue vs iust cause to be as prouident as a carefull Prince can bee.

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James I, King of England, 1566-1625

Images

Works

The sickly Stuarts : the medical downfall of a dynasty / Frederick Holmes.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Engraving, 1620 (?).

Fit to rule : how royal illness changed medical history. Part 1.Tudors to Stuarts: From Gods to Men.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland with Charles Prince of Wales. Engraving by W. van de Passe, ca. 1625.

James VI of Scotland / [by] Caroline Bingham.

Today’s opening times

Wellcome uses cookies.

James I, King of England, 1566-1625

Images

Works

The sickly Stuarts : the medical downfall of a dynasty / Frederick Holmes.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Engraving, 1620 (?).

Fit to rule : how royal illness changed medical history. Part 1.Tudors to Stuarts: From Gods to Men.

King James I of England and VI of Scotland with Charles Prince of Wales. Engraving by W. van de Passe, ca. 1625.

James VI of Scotland / [by] Caroline Bingham.

Wellcome Collection

Today’s opening times