10 Monks Orchard….final

This is the final part in the introduction from a story I am working on…..:

“These so named Puritans, or English expatriates, would return to England in 1558 when protestant Elizabeth I assumed the thrown. She was an avowed anti Roman Catholic, and like her Father, Henry VIII, began to adopt all of the auspices of Protestantism and purge Catholicism from the English landscape. By the end of her reign with her death in 1603 the Church of England was firmly entrenched, although ripe for treason’s discourse and ultimately rebellion. This would come eventually and would have dire consequences for my own family. By the way, Elizabeth was childless, without heir. Consequently, the crown was bequeathed to the Stuarts of Scotland, James I. Elizabeth was the last of the Tudor monarchs.

“A new and equally dangerous religious era in England was about to begin. Not so much with James I who succeeded Elizabeth I and reigned from 1603 until 1625, but with his royal next of kin – Charles I. No, James I, known for his proclivity to male courtiers, the arts and matters of the heart, was predisposed to the new religion. He put up with Catholicism but when he tried and failed to convince his Scottish compatriots and countrymen to shed their Presbyterian, Calvin ways and adopt the instances of the new and Anglicized Church of England, they refused and this would ultimately result in problems, for the monarchy – not so much for James but for his son Charles I. Indeed James was somewhat of a dour pushover as male monarchs go. In fact Elizabeth was known to us as the King of England whereas James was forever cast as England’s Queen

“James is noted for one very important measure: The King James Version of the Bible. This came about due to a major disconnect of the various versions of the Bible that were out there in print. This added confusion as to who had the right interpretation of God’s written word. The Puritans? The Scottish Presbyterians? The Church England? the Irish Catholics? Who was right? The King James version of the Bible standardized the Word of God throughout the Kingdom and is considered to be a masterful work of art of this, our Jacobean period.[1] I believe it is still popular in your day.

“James was also noted as a peace keeper. He managed to keep England out of the 30 years war and placated many Anglo – Spanish disagreements. While many of us Puritans would have welcomed a war with Spain, James refused to variate from his Pro Spanish policies, even attempting to have his son Charles marry a Spanish infanta, which failed. James also averted disaster in 1604 with the so called “Gunpowder Plot”, a plot to blow up Parliament. You know this as Guy Fawkes Day. Overall, James I, for all of his weaknesses, was well liked by his people. What we didn’t know or comprehend at the time were the grave consequences that his weakness of spirit and lack of judgement would have over the years to come. For James’ reign was an era of debt. So much so that he lacked the means and flexibility to adopt many of his programs nationally and internationally. Somewhat a supporter of the Divine Right and Absolutism of the monarchy, which meant that he felt himself as being above the laws of the land, he prorogued parliament many times when he couldn’t achieve his goals or get his financial way. This would set a dangerous precedent. One that his son Charles would use to a great degree and one which would become a detriment to the crown, the ruling class, the middle classes – well to just about every man, woman and child of this English nation, including the king himself. A crisis of confidence was soon to come.

“And with that I will leave you now and let this story unfold unto itself.

[1] Jacobean era refers to time frame of the reign of James VI of Scotland, who was also James I of England.


Final Oasis song:

Have a great Navy day.

SJ……….………………..Out