Charles I

by Christopher Durston

Published 7 September 1995
Charles Carlton's biography of the `monarch of the Civil Wars' was praised for its distinctive psychological portrait of Charles I when it was first published in 1983. Challenging conventional interpretations of the king, as well as questioning orthodox historical assumptions concerning the origins and development of the Civil Wars, the book quickly established itself as the definitive biography.
In the eleven years since Charles I: The Personal Monarch was published an immense amount of new material on the king and his reign have emerged and yet no new biography has been written. Professor Carlton's second edition includes a substantial new preface which takes account of the new work. Addressing and analysing the furious historiographical debates which have surrounded the period, Carlton offers a fresh and lucid perspective. The text and bibliography have been thoroughly updated.

James I

by Christopher Durston

Published 29 July 1993
James I has traditionally been portrayed as a foolish and unpleasant man. However, the last two decades have seen a rehabilitation of James I by historians, who have begun to appreciate that in some areas, in particular foreign policy and religion, he pursued sensible policies and achieved a considerable degree of success. Christopher Durston deals with the personality and political ability of the monarch, the court, finance, parliament, foreign policy and religion, including his record in Scotland and the legacies of Elizabeth I. The arguments of the revisionist historians concerning James's relations with his parliaments are examined in detail, as well as the recent `postrevisionist' backlash.