t her Majesty amused at
home, and the best brains and the best wit of England co-operated with
the queen in her attempt to change the feudal inheritance of Henry VIII
into a modern national state.

In the year 1603 the old lady died at the age of seventy. Her cousin,
the great-grandson of her own grandfather Henry VII and son of Mary
Stuart, her rival and enemy, succeeded her as James I. By the Grace of
God, he found himself the ruler of a country which had escaped the fate
of its continental rivals. While the European Protestants and Catholics
were killing each other in a hopeless attempt to break the power
of their adversaries and establish the exclusive rule of their own
particular creed, England was at peace and "reformed" at leisure without
going to the extremes of either Luther or Loyola. It gave the island
kingdom an enormous advantage in the coming struggle for colonial
possessions. It assured England a leadership in international affairs
which that country has maintained until the present day. Not even the
disastrous adventure with the Stuarts was able to stop this normal
development.

The Stuarts, who succeeded the Tudors, were "foreigners" in England.
They do not seem to have appreciated or understood this fact. The native
house of Tudor could steal a horse, but the "foreign" Stuarts were not
allowed to look at the bridle without causing great popular disapproval.
Old Queen Bess had ruled her domains very much as she pleased. In
general however, she had always followed a policy which meant money in
the pocket of the honest (and otherwise) British merchants. Hence
the Queen had been always assured of the wholehearted support of her
grateful people. And small liberties taken with some of the rights
and prerogatives of Parliament were gladly overlooked for the ulterior
benefits which were derived from her Majesty's strong and successful
foreign policies.

Outwardly King James continued the same policy. But he lacked that
personal enthusiasm which had been so very typical of his great
predecessor. Foreign commerce continued to be encouraged. The Catholics
were not granted any liberties. But when Spain smiled pleasantly upon
England in an effort to establish peaceful relations, James was seen to
smile back. The majority of the English people did not like this, but
James was their King and they kept quiet.

Soon there were other causes of friction. King James and his son,
Charles I, who succeeded him in the ye