Great Moments in Stupidity VIII: The House of Stuart

Some of the best arguments against the monarchial form of government can be found in the history of during the period of time beginning with the coronation of James I and ending with the abdication (a politer way of saying "got out of town three steps ahead of the lynch mob") of James II. The combined acts of stupidity that originated within the House of Stuart monarchy were of such magnitude and impact that the question of stupid genetics versus stupid environment was first posed and is still being hotly debated today.

The entire mess began when Queen Elizabeth I died without leaving an heir to the throne. Her closest relative was her half-sister, Mary Queen of Scots, who was unavailable because Elizabeth had ordered beheaded in 1587 on a shaky charge of treason. Mary's son, James, had become King James VI of while still an infant and had been placed under the "guardianship" of a succession of Barons, Earls, and other minor nobilities that bombarded him with a succession of different religious denominations, political theories, personal opinions, and private grudges.

By the time he had reached the age at which he could officially assume the throne of Scotland James had observed that, if he avoided getting too friendly with his mother's French relatives and kept his affiliation with the Catholic Church in the background, he had a shot at becoming King of England as well as . When his aunt Elizabeth died in 1603, James was indeed invited to come to and rule as King James I.