When Elizabeth I died in 1603, a cousin, James VI of Scotland (later James I) succeeded to the throne. James I (1566 - 1625) was the great, great grandson of King Henry VII (1457 - 1509), the first Tudor monarch and father of Henry VIII (1491 - 1547). This line of descent was through Margaret Tudor (1489 - 1541), oldest daughter of Henry VII, who married James IV of Scotland. In fact, both parents of James I, were descended from Margaret Tudor. His mother being the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 - 1587), and his father, the equally ill-fated, **** Henry Darnley (1545 - 1567).