@@ -9,6 +9,42 @@ namespace Python.EmbeddingTest
 {
     public class InitializeTest
     {
+        [Test]
+        public static void LoadSpecificArgs()
+        {
+            var args = new[] { "test1", "test2" };
+            PythonEngine.Initialize(args);
+            try
+            {
+                using (var argv = new PyList(Runtime.Runtime.PySys_GetObject("argv")))
+                {
+                    Assert.That(argv[0].ToString() == args[0]);
+                    Assert.That(argv[1].ToString() == args[1]);
+                }
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                PythonEngine.Shutdown();
+            }
+        }
+
+        [Test]
+        public static void LoadDefaultArgs()
+        {
+            PythonEngine.Initialize();
+            try
+            {
+                using (var argv = new PyList(Runtime.Runtime.PySys_GetObject("argv")))
+                {
+                    Assert.That(argv.Length() != 0);
+                }
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                PythonEngine.Shutdown();
+            }
+        }
+
         [Test]
         public static void Test()
         {
 
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 using System.IO;
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Reflection;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
 
 namespace Python.Runtime
 {
@@ -102,6 +104,11 @@ public static int RunSimpleString(string code)
 
         #endregion
 
+        public static void Initialize()
+        {
+            Initialize(Enumerable.Empty<string>());
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Initialize Method
         /// </summary>
@@ -112,7 +119,7 @@ public static int RunSimpleString(string code)
         /// first call. It is *not* necessary to hold the Python global
         /// interpreter lock (GIL) to call this method.
         /// </remarks>
-        public static void Initialize()
+        public static void Initialize(IEnumerable<string> args)
         {
             if (!initialized)
             {
@@ -126,6 +133,9 @@ public static void Initialize()
                 initialized = true;
                 Exceptions.Clear();
 
+                Py.SetArgv(args);
+                Py.Throw();
+
                 // register the atexit callback (this doesn't use Py_AtExit as the C atexit
                 // callbacks are called after python is fully finalized but the python ones
                 // are called while the python engine is still running).
@@ -552,9 +562,12 @@ public static void SetArgv(IEnumerable<string> argv)
 
         internal static void Throw()
         {
-            if (Runtime.PyErr_Occurred() != 0)
+            using (GIL())
             {
-                throw new PythonException();
+                if (Runtime.PyErr_Occurred() != 0)
+                {
+                    throw new PythonException();
+                }
             }
         }
     }