James VI of Scotland follows Elizabeth I to the throne, becoming James I of England in 1603 and so initiates the Stuart period of English history (in Scotland, just to be different, he's a Stewart). The party ends for the Stuart line in 1714 when Queen Anne, all of whose 18 children have died, also expires, leaving the throne to George, elector of Hanover, who becomes George I. Pockmarked with numerous tragic events such as the Gunpowder Plot, the Civil Wars, the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, the Stuart period produces some exceptionally awful jobs, which, as usual, fall to the unfortunate poor or to the downright deranged.