Who was the king of England in 1605?

The king of England in 1605 was James I. He was also James VI of Scotland, so historians often call him James VI and I to reflect his two royal titles.

James became king of England in 1603 after the death of Elizabeth I, who left no surviving children. His accession united the English and Scottish crowns in a personal union, although England and Scotland remained separate kingdoms with their own parliaments and laws.

The Gunpowder Plot took place during James’s reign. Catholic conspirators hoped to assassinate him and Parliament by detonating gunpowder beneath the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes was arrested while guarding the explosives on 5 November 1605.

James was the first monarch from the Scottish House of Stuart to rule England. He remained king until his death in 1625 and was succeeded in England by his son Charles I. Elizabeth I therefore belongs to the previous Tudor reign, not to 1605.