Born James Charles Stuart, he became the King of Scotland while he was 13 months old. In 1603, he became the successor to Queen Elizabeth, who died childless, to become King James I of England.

As he was King of both Scotland and England, he declared himself the King of what he called Great Britain. This signalled the end of the line of Scottish kings.

Amongst his famous acts are the creation of the Union Jack, which is now one of the worlds most famous flags, by combining the St. Andrew's Cross of Scotland with the St George's Cross of England.

Although the creation of Great Britain is probably his most prestigeous accomplishment, it should be noted that he also sanctioned the creation of the King James bible, which has been one of the most influential works of modern Christianity.

Although the monarchies were joined, the parliaments of the two countries were not joined until over one hundred years after James took the throne, in 1707.

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