Images Dated 18th January 2006

James I, King of England and Scotland, 1860. Artist: WJ Edwards

James I, King of England and Scotland, 1860. James (1566-1625) became King of Scotland in 1567 and England in 1601. The son of Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland became the first of the Stuart monarchs on the English throne when Elizabeth I died in 1601. A Protestant, his policies towards Catholics led to the Gunpowder Plot, and his belief in the absolute power of the monarchy led to increasing friction with Parliament, which would culminate in civil war in the reign of his son and successor, Charles I. Culture, particularly literature, flourished during James reign, with the work of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Francis Bacon particularly notable, as well as the production of the King James Bible

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

Richard II, King of England, 1860

Richard II, King of England, 1860. Portrait of the king (1367-1400) with orb and sceptre, and below, a scene showing Richard defending himself against assassins in Pontefract Castle, called Pomfret Castle in Shakespeare's play, Richard II

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

14th Century, 19th Century, Assassin, Attack, Attacking, B W, Black And White, Building, Buildings, Castle, Century, Coat Of Arms, Country, Crime, Criminal, Crown, England, English, Engraving, Fortification, Fourteenth Century, Guy, Heraldry, King, King Of England, King Richard Ii, Location, Male, Man, Mediaeval, Medieval, Men, Middle Ages, Monarch, Monochrome, Nineteenth Century, Orb, People, Pomfret Castle, Pontefract Castle, Portrait, Print Collector1, Richard Ii, Royal, Royalty, Sceptre, Sovereign, The Print Collector

Otto von Bismarck, German statesman, 19th century. Artist: W Holl

Otto von Bismarck, German statesman, 19th century. Otto Edward Leopold, Count von Bismarck (1815-1898) was Chancellor of Prussia and architect of modern Germany. His ambition was to unify the various independent German states into a single nation under Prussian leadership. The catalyst to bringing this about was the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when the other German states fought alongside the Prussians. France was defeated, and in 1871, the German Empire was established, with Bismarck as Chancellor

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images