Conditioned by a childhood surrounded by the rivalries of the Stewart family, and by eighteen years of enforced exile in England, James I was to prove a king very different from his elderly and conservative forerunners. This major study draws on a wide range of sources, assessing James I's impact on his kingdom. Michael Brown examines James's creation of a new, prestigious monarchy based on a series of bloody victories over his rivals and symbolised by lavish spending at court. He concludes that, despite the apparent power and glamour, James I's 'golden age' had shallow roots; after a life of drastically swinging fortunes, James I was to meet his end in a violent coup, a victim of his own methods. But whether as lawgiver, tyrant or martyr, James I has cast a long shadow over the history of Scotland.
- ISBN13 9781906566937
- Publish Date 10 June 2015 (first published 3 July 1998)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher John Donald Publishers Ltd
- Imprint John Donald Short Run Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 235
- Language English