Shakespeare - Athena

years abroad and became a court musician for James in 1612. James also
kept a cadre of composers at court, among them Robert Johnson, Thomas
Campion, and Alfonso Ferrabosco II.
The king commissioned numerous new
buildings and appointed Inigo Jones, a noted
architect as well as a theatrical designer, as
surveyor of his works. Jones had recently
toured Italy, where he closely studied the
works of the venerated Italian architect
Palladio. Jones subsequently designed several
major edifices including the Queen’s House
in Greenwich, a Palladio-influenced structure
The Banqueting House at
Whitehall Palace
now considered one of the most important buildings in the history of
British architecture. He also built the magnificent Banqueting House in
the Palace of Whitehall, with ceilings painted by the Flemish artist Peter
Paul Rubens.
© User: Thorvaldsson
to Prince Henry and sergeant-painter to the
king. And William Larkin earned a reputation for
capturing the opulent attire worn by members of
James’s court in careful detail.
Today, James I is best remembered for the
immense scholarly and artistic achievement
that bears his name: the King James Bible. Four
hundred years after it was first issued, it remains
the bestselling book of all time. Commissioned by
the king under pressure from the Puritans, it is
Nicholas Hilliard’s selfportrait,
1577
a work of simplicity and majesty that permeates everyday English, much
like the language of Shakespeare. “The salt of the earth,” “a labor of love,”
“as old as the hills,” “the signs of the times,” “a drop in the bucket,” “skin of
your teeth,” “give up the ghost,” “an eye for an eye”—these and countless
other phrases come straight from the King James Bible.
© The Yorck Project
Like Rubens, the most prominent visual artists of the day were not English,
but some native sons made their mark. Englishman Nicholas Hilliard, a
renowned goldsmith and painter of miniatures, created the magnificent
Lyte Jewel, a diamond-encrusted, enameled gold locket featuring a
miniature portrait of the king. Robert Peake the Elder served as portraitist
THE GUNPOWDER PLOT
Although James I was a convinced Protestant, he was mostly
tolerant regarding religion. His mother, Mary, Queen of Scots,
had been a devout Catholic (which contributed to her eventual
MAJOR EVENTS IN THE REIGN OF JAMES I
july 25,
1603
1611
Coronation of
James brokers
Death of James's
March 24,
James I
January
peace between
November 5, Guy Fawkes King James Bible eldest son,
june 29,
1603 of England 1604 England and Spain
1605
executed completed Prince Henry 1613
Elizabeth I dies
James authorizes
a new translation
of the Bible
1604
Gunpowder Plot
foiled
january 31, James dissolves November 6,
1606 Parliament after
disagreement
1612
about his income
The Globe theatre
burns down
(rebuilt a
year later)
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