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

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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

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Napoleon Bonaparte, 19th century.Artist: W Holl

Napoleon Bonaparte, 19th century. Napoleon I Bonaparte (1769-1821), Emperor of France from 1804. Napoleon enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of the French Revolutionary army. In 1799 he led a coup to overthrow the government, the Directory, and became first consul and effective dictator of France. In 1804, he declared himself Emperor, and embarked on a series of military campaigns across Europe, the Napoleonic Wars. Victories such as Austerlitz and Jena led to France establishing its power across much of the continent. In 1812, however, Napoleon embarked on a disastrous invasion of Russia and defeat at Leipzig in 1813 led to his abdication and exile to Elba. He ecaped in 1815, raised another army, but was finally defeated by Wellington at Waterloo, and exiled again to St Helena

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