Elizabeth's death in 1603 brought James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I, but Scotland and England remained separate countries. James, a Protestant, was the first king of the Stuart dynasty. During his reign the King James version of the Bible was prepared, the first permanent English colony in North America was established at Jamestown, Virginia, and the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth.

James insisted that his right to rule came from God and therefore no earthly person or agency had the right to oppose his wishes. This doctrine, later called “the divine right of kings,” brought him into conflict with Parliament. The political struggle between James and Parliament became merged with a religious conflict that developed from persecution of the Puritans and other Protestants who rejected the beliefs and practices of the Church of England.

Charles I, son of James I, came to the throne in 1625. He dissolved Parliament in 1629 and did not call it into session again until 1640, when he needed money. In return for granting him money, Parliament made Charles agree not to adjourn or dissolve Parliament without its consent. Hostility between king and Parliament increased until the Great Rebellion, a civil war, erupted in 1642. The Parliamentary forces, led by Oliver Cromwell, defeated the king's forces and in 1649 Charles was tried for treason, convicted, and beheaded.