The Cradle King: A Life of James VI and I (Hardcover)

The strength of Stewart's biography lies in his exploration of James' other title: King James VI of Scotland. James was crowned king at the age of one "during one of the most bitter and bloody periods in Scottish history", which witnessed the expulsion and subsequent murder of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, and repeated attempts upon the young king's life. Stewart has trawled a mass of neglected archival material to provide a compelling portrait of the "cradle king", who spent over 50 years as a king, and whose public life was defined by the febrile and violent world of Scottish politics.

In 1603, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I, James took the crown of England, and Stewart spends the second half of his biography unravelling James' labyrinthine financial, domestic and foreign policy, as well as his complex sexuality, and extraordinary relationship with the charismatic Duke of Buckingham.

This is an excellent biography that resituates James as one of England's most astute monarchs, while also comically underlining his faults and foibles. Stewart points out that James "mocked colonial exploration, fell asleep during England's most celebrated plays, and showed little interest in momentous scientific advances", all signs of how his public career was shaped in his infancy as a "cradle king". --Jerry Brotton

Review
It is not surprising that James VI and I of Scotland and England was noted for his fear of war, weapons and unexplained strangers. Son of Mary Queen of Scots, who was deprived of her crown after being accused of complicity in the murder of her husband Lord Darnley, James succeeded to the throne aged only 13 months. The first decade of his life, when he was kept fast in Stirling Castle, was one of the most bitter and bloody periods in Scottish history, and he lived under no fewer than three regents before he was five. Alan Stewart has added his life of King James to his acclaimed biographies Philip Sidney and Francis Bacon, and brings his Renaissance expertise to this packed account of warring political and religious factions, with its confusingly large cast of big players. After the death of Queen Elizabeth I, James was proclaimed King of England, and he hoped for unity between his two realms. Although at first English expectations of him were high, he was soon found to be negligent, absorbed as he was in his passion for hunting. His clashes with Parliament, and his condemnation of the Puritans, laid the foundations for the civil war. James was scholarly and learned, but his predilection for handsome young men clouded his political judgement. In 1607 he fell in love with a young Scot called Robert Carr, who was the first of his favourites to be pushed into high office, and finally created Earl of Somerset. However, once the dashing George Villiers appeared at court, Somerset was rapidly superseded. Villiers became the undisputed focus of court life, and it was not long before he became the Duke of Buckingham, and the wealthiest noble in England. The detailed research and use of original sources make this an excellent biography of a misunderstood monarch, which unlike many books about James also deals with his writings on the passionately argued and risky religious controversies of his time. Stewart holds fast to the evidence of historical records, resisting the temptation to speculate about James's psychology, and the result is an illuminating and completely trustworthy volume. (Kirkus UK)

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• Books > Biography > British Royalty
• Books > Biography > Historical > 1501-1700
• Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Military
• Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Tudors & Stuarts: 1501-1700
• Books > Biography > Historical > Royalty
• Books > Biography > Political
• Books > History > Britain & Ireland > British Heads of State > James I
• Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Early Modern 1501-1700 (Tudors, Stuarts, Commonwealth, Restoration, Glorious Revolution)

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