James VI and I colonized.
James VI and I ( 19 June 1566 -- 27 March 1625 ) 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 . The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states , with their own parliaments , judiciary , and laws , though both were ruled by James in personal union . Four different regents governed during his minority , which ended officially in 1578 , though he did not gain full control of his government until 1583 . In his reign , the Plantation of Ulster and British colonization of the Americas began .