History of the Puritans under King James I Scots since the abdication of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567 (when James was 1 year old). James had little contact with his mother and was raised by guardians in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. John Knox had led the Scottish Reformation, beginning in 1560, and the Church of Scotland looked broadly like the type of church that the Puritans wanted in England. In his 1599 book "Basilikon Doron", the king had had harsh words for Puritans, but his criticisms seemed directed at the most extreme of the Puritans and it seemed likely that the king would agree
I Served the King of England isolated from the world, save for the company of a few animals. Here, Dítě trades his youthful pursuit of temporal pleasures for quiet contemplation and spiritual growth. He comes to accept himself, overcoming the insecurity he felt throughout his life. The book ends with Dítě describing how he started to write the novel in the first place. James Wood wrote in the "London Review of Books" in 2001: ""I Served the King of England" is a joyful, picaresque story, which begins with Baron Munchausen-like adventures, and ends in tears and solitude, a modulation typical of Hrabal's greatest work." After the