Jacobean style The English architectural and decorative
style associated with the reign (1603–25) of James I. It is
also known as Early Stuart and is a natural development
of the preceding ELIZABETHAN STYLE. Its general tendency
was to fine down and restrain the exuberant inventiveness
of earlier craftsmen and builders in their attitude to clas-
sical models and motifs. While FURNITUREwas still made
predominantly of oak, some new forms of chairs and ta-
bles began to make their appearance. In architecture there
was renewed interest in the correctness of classical pro-
portions and a tendency to use stone again for important
buildings. Forerunner of the revival of building according
to classical canons in late Stuart England was the architect
Inigo JONES, whose important commissions and careful
study of the work of PALLADIOinitiated the fashion for
pure Italian Renaissance architecture.
Further reading: Timothy Mowl, Elizabethan and Ja-
cobean Style (London: Phaidon, 1993).
Jacobello del Fiore (c. 1370–1439) Italian artist
The son of Francesco del Fiore, the president of the guild
of painters in Venice (1415–36), Jacobello was a pupil of
GENTILEda Fabriano and adopted a similar approach in
the International Gothic style when he began painting in
- His earliest surviving work is the Madonna della
Misericordia (1407); other works include the Lion of St.
Mark (1415; Palazzo Ducale, Venice) and the Coronation
of the Virgin (1438), a copy of the well-known painting by
Gauriento.
James I (1566–1625) King of England and Ireland
(1603–25), King of Scots (as James VI; 1567–1625)
The son of MARY, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stewart, Lord
Darnley, James was the first monarch to rule both Scotland
and England. His long minority was plagued by Scotland’s
religious and political turmoil, but after 1583 he suc-
ceeded in imposing his authority on the warring factions. In
England he had less success, failing to understand the Eng-
lish and their institutions; they in turn mocked his per-
sonal habits and his liking for handsome young courtiers.
They also resented his policy of seeking peace with Spain.
In his attempts to assert himself James had bitter disputes
with his parliaments, usually over money. His schooling
under George BUCHANANhad given him a taste for learn-
ing, and he wrote treatises on several subjects (witchcraft,
tobacco, the divine right of kings); however, his greatest
contribution to literature was made in 1604 when he com-
missioned the Authorized Version of the Bible.
Further reading: W. B. Patterson, King James VI and
the Reunion of Christendom (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge
University Press, 1998); Alan Stewart, The Cradle King:
The Life of James VI and I (London: Chatto & Windus and
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003).James IV (1473–1513) King of Scotland (1488–1513)
The son of James III, he succeeded to the throne when his
father was killed at the battle of Sauchieburn (1488) fight-
ing against a rebellion of nobles. In 1503 he married Mar-
garet, daughter of Henry VII of England. An energetic and
popular ruler, he promoted efficient administration, im-
proved the working of the judicial system, and attempted
to assert royal authority in the Highlands and Western
Isles. He encouraged learning, supporting the foundation
of King’s College, Aberdeen (1495), which became a cen-
ter of humanist scholarship, patronizing the poet William
Dunbar, and granting a patent to the first Scottish printersJ i
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