Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset
Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset, was an English noblewoman who was the central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I. She was found guilty but spared execution, and was eventually pardoned by the King and released from the Tower of London in early 1622.
Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset
Frances Howard, portrait miniature by Isaac Oliver
James VI and I was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. Although he long tried to get both countries to adopt a closer political union, the kingdoms of Scotland and England remained sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, ruled by James in personal union. He was the longest-reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Scotland.
Portrait attributed to John de Critz, c. 1605
Portrait of James as a boy, after Arnold Bronckorst, 1574
James (right) depicted aged 17 beside his mother, 1583. In reality, they were separated when he was still a baby.
James in 1586, age 20 (attrib. Adrian Vanson or the school of Alonso Sánchez Coello)