He planned to be the King of England

James I succeeded to the English throne, which is not a coincidence. James became aware at a young age that Queen Elizabeth lacked a direct heir because she had no children. He was aware that, with the perfect use of his cards, he could win Elizabeth's favor and succeed to the throne of England. When the earl of Morton was expelled from the regency in 1578, James had already assumed nominal control of the government by the time he was 12 years old. However, James continued to serve as the puppet of rival intriguers and faction leaders for several more years. James was taken captive by William Ruthven, 1st earl of Gowrie, in 1582 after becoming swayed by the duke of Lennox, a Roman Catholic who plotted to retake Scotland for the imprisoned Queen Mary and was made to condemn Lennox.

The following year, James managed to free himself from his Protestant captives and started enforcing his rule as king. His main goals were to assert his claim to replace the childless Elizabeth I as king of England and to free himself from Scottish party servitude. James allied with England in 1585–1586 after realizing that cultivating Elizabeth's goodwill would be more advantageous than joining forces with her adversaries. He constantly agreed with the Queen as a result of this. He didn't even dispute much with her, not even when she ordered the execution of his mother.