James I: The Masque of Monarchy

Few monarchs have ascended the English throne amid as much eulogy and rejoicing as James I when he came to his English kingdom in 1603. There was good reason for it. James brought a ready-made, legitimate dynasty to a nation which had spent much of the previous century agonizing about the succession. The eulogies continued throughout his reign and after his death. However, for every line of flattery there was also one of malicious gossip, and this mixture has made his reign difficult to evaluate fairly.

The popular view of James today is likely to be negative, focused on his personal habits such as his stutter, his extravagant spending, and his demonstrative homosexual behaviour, rather than his competence as King. This book looks beneath the flattery and above the gossip by going back to the first-hand evidence: original papers and letters held at The National Archives. A lively narrative sets this unique material in context and provides a fresh, balanced survey of England's first Stuart King.

Featured documents include:

* Shakespeare and his company at James' coronation procession
* James authorizing the torture of Guy Fawkes
* James intervening in a witchcraft trial
* Pocahontas at James' court

a detailed biography of James I that looks beneath the flattery and above the gossip by going back to the first-hand evidence: original papers and letters.

James Travers is a Curatorial Officer for the Historic Manuscripts Commission at The National Archives. He is the author of James I: The masque of monarchy. He has written for The Literary Review, the new Dictionary of National Biography and BBC Radio 4.