In this new biography, the story of James VI and I is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest.

James VI and I has long endured a mixed reputation. To many, he is the homosexual king, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated – and analysed – Tudor and Stuart forebears. But who was he really? To what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?

In this new biography, James’s story is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous, outrageous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of James VI and I as his contemporaries knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality. With reference to letters, libels and state papers, it casts fresh light on the personal, domestic, international, and sexual politics of this misunderstood sovereign.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Author’s Note
• The Tudor and Stuart Dynasties
• Introduction: Triumphus Jacobi
• 1. Baptism of Fire
• 2. Coming of Age
• 3. Man and Boy
• 4. The End of the Affair
• 5. Madame and Mother
• 6. The Serpent Slain
• 7. The Marriage Game
• 8. The Second-best Bedfellow
• 9. ’Tis Thou Maun Bring Her Hame
• 10. His Will Revealed
• 11. Toil and Trouble
• 12. Disillusion
• 13. All Things to All Men
• 14. Succession
• 15. Secrets of a Successful Marriage
• 16. The Honeymoon Ends
• 17. At Long Last Love
• 18. The End of an Era
• 19. Fall and Rise of a Favourite
• 20. The Return of the King
• 21. Death and Taxes
• 22. But Where Are My Twa Bonnie Boys?
• 23. Death’s Triumphing Dart
• Primary Sources
• Printed Sources
• Notes
• Index
• Picture Sections