King James IV of Scotland went from being a puppet boy monarch to the most powerful seat in the world. He was specifically selected by Queen Elizabeth I of England to become the monarch of both Scottland and Great Britian. With the troubles that should have killed any relationship between these two kinsman, James IV becomes James I of England.
Elizabeth had beared no heirs because she was a virgin queen. At the urgings of the Parliment and at her own wants to keep the power where she chose it to go, Elizabeth began to look for a succesor. This search lead her to begin sending handwritten letters to James IV in the summer of 1585, whereas most rulers would have ambassadors carry the messages. At the time, Elizabeth was fifty-one years old and James was nineteen years old. These correspondence begins as a way for Elizabeth to figure out who James was as a person and eventually leads to James earning the English throne.
Through these letters James and Elizabeth plegde themselves to each other. The two monarchs establish that they are equals and are kins. This type of language especially appears in letters in which one monarch is asking the other for a favor, such as when Elizabeth asks James not to ally Scotland with the French against England. While for the normal person, the mere fact that someone is a blood relation would stop them from committing harm to another, James asks what he could recieve from an alliance with Elizabeth. Elizabeth replies that she would give him the throne and supply Scotland with the money it desperately needs. James does not ally himself with the French.
The most strained part of James and Elizabeth's relationship is when Elizabeth kills James' mother. When in 1586 a plot on Elizabeth's life is uncovered, some conspirators are arrested. During the examinations of one of the conspirators, Mary, Queen of the Scotts, is revealed to be also a conspirator. Within a few days of the conspirators testimony, Mary is arrested and determined to be on trial for treason. By 1587, James writes to Elizabeth pleading for his mothers life. James' main theme in this letter is that Elizabeth and him are friends, which is why Elizabeth should break their agreement that traitors should be executed.
Elizabeth eventaually kills Mary. This drastically reduces the friendship between the two rulers. In hopes of rebuilding this relationship, Elizabeth sends a letter to James to tell him that she was unaware of Mary's execution and asks for forgiveness, although Elizabeth signed the death warrent and used her seal. James' feelings at his mother's death is unknown, but he eventually restores his relationship with Elizabeth. James replies that he should get to be ruler of Scotland and England now and although not in writing, it is generally accepted that at this point James was Elizabeth's succesor.
