1603: a jagged succession*

Abstract

Abstract This article contests the received wisdom that James I’s accession was smooth and untroubled by revealing the less smooth side – the jagged edge as it were - to both the moment of James I’s succession and the early months of his reign. It examines the uncertainty about the new king’s title; the short hiatus in effective government; unease about some of James’s actions; anxieties raised by the Bye and Main plots; grass-roots political agitation; and immediate concerns about the future direction of policy. Examining them together offers a new perspective on James I’s early reign.