The king who rode south
On 3 April 1603, James VI of Scotland left Edinburgh for London to claim the English throne. Elizabeth I had died on 15 March, and the succession was smooth — James had been the understood heir for years. He was 36, had been king of Scotland for 36 years (since he was thirteen months old), and he was about to become the first monarch to rule both Scotland and England.
The journey south took a month. James was greeted with enthusiasm in England — after the uncertainties of Elizabeth's final years, the country was relieved to have a clear succession. James distributed honours freely along the route, creating new knights with abandon. London received him with pageantry and relief.
James proved to be a more complex king than either kingdom expected. He was intelligent, well-read (he had published books on witchcraft and the divine right of kings), and genuinely interested in bringing his two kingdoms closer together. He styled himself "King of Great Britain" and pushed for a full political union — but both the English and Scottish parliaments resisted.
The Union of Crowns transformed Scotland's relationship with its southern neighbour. The Scottish court and aristocracy gradually drifted south. Edinburgh lost its status as a royal capital. Scottish politics became increasingly entangled with English affairs. James promised to return to Scotland every three years. He came back exactly once, in 1617, seventeen years after he left. The capital of Scottish power had moved to London, and it would never fully return.