King James I Quotes
A good king, though he be above the law, will subject and frame his actions thereto, for example's sake to his subjects, and of his own free will, but not as subject or bound thereto ...
King James VI of Scotland
James I, 1566- 1625, King of England, True Law of Free Monarchies
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The statement so offended the Lords—the highest court of England—that he was imprisoned by the Lords and not released until he had recanted the position. The argument goes on today in many countries incuding the United States.
James just before he became king was very much aware of the unpopularity of the concept of sovereign immunity and the danger of an English King acting against traditional law of the land however, James did not wish to set at precedent that the king was bound by any way and subject the law of his inferiors. He seemed to find a brilliant solution:
She was Queen of Scotland and claimed the English throne as well. While Elizabeth I was on the throne of England, Mary claimed that the court had no jurisdiction over an absolute monarch. Her son was in France at the time but eventually succeeded to the Scottish throne as James VI and the English throne as James I.
Magistrates included not only judges but mayors, governors and other Executive officials appointed by the King. The President of the United States is often referred to as the “Chief Magistrate”. At the time, Baptists taught that authorities were acting for God therefore must be obeyed.
Prior to Cooke’s indictment of English King Charles I, there was a concept of Royal Impunity—that a sovereign could not legally be called to account for his actions as ruler of the state. The concept of “sovereign immunity” was a concept where the sovereign and his agents could be given immunity for specific actions, but they never would have impunity again where there were no limits to the crimes they might commit against their own people. Charles I refused to even recognize Cooke’s indictment and so have heads of state called to account for their major crimes since then all the way down to Saddam Hussein in 2006 who made the same argument. Cooke was himself hanged, drawn and quartered almost 20 years after the Charles I trial for his part in the “Regicide” so the concept of Royal Impunity did not die quickly.
West Saxons had a bad experience with a “Queen” who was not very good. This quotation illustrates that the institutions of monarchy varied from time to time and place to place, just like democracies that have many differences among them.
James VI and I was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union.
