Queen James by Gareth Russell is rumbustious, readable, and based on impeccable scholarship
by John Kirkaldy
Imagine Dear Reader that you are a therapist confronted by a figure who states that he first became a King when he was thirteen months old. (He is, moreover, a firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings and has indeed written on the subject; as he also has in his belief in the persecution of witches.)
His background is confused from the start. He last saw his mother when he was ten months old. She may have been involved – to an extent – in the murder of at least one of her two husbands. When later she is executed for treason, he is unable to make too much of a protest because of matters of state.
It is James’s sexual orientation that dominates much of the book
Gareth Russell’s book, Queen James, is a study of the personal life of King James VI of Scotland and James I of Britain. It is often the stuff of a soap opera:
‘James’s life encompassed kidnapping, witchcraft trials, his mother’s beheading, poison, political radicalism, religious fundamentalism, a queen’s alleged abortion, passionate sex, strong love, stronger hate, espionage, brothels and a decade-long love affair that ended in assassination.’
Important aspects of James’s reign are sometimes mentioned only in passing. Events, such the continued flourishing of the Arts after Elizabeth’s reign, the production of the King James Bible, religious controversy, foreign and domestic policy, the Plantation of Ulster, the Gunpowder Plot and the colonisation of North America are viewed mainly through the prism of James and his immediate circle. The personal is indeed the political.
It is James’s sexual orientation that dominates much of the book. Contemporary gossip alleged that he was a homosexual and many subsequent observers have agreed with this assessment. As an anonymous English writer commented in 1623: ‘Elizabeth was King, Now James is Queen.’
the author believes that James suffered from ADHD and that much of his later behaviour shows many of the hallmarks associated with PTSD
James’s wife, Anna gave birth to seven live children, as well as suffering two still births and at least three miscarriages. Some biographers have argued that his close male relationships were not sexual. In his book, Basilkon Doron, James lists sodomy among crimes ‘ye are bound in conscience never to forgive.’
In an interesting Appendix, Russell addresses issues concerning ‘terminology and deciphering evidence of intimacy.’ Moral, legal and religious attitudes have changed over the centuries. It is important to note that the author believes that James suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and that much of his later behaviour shows many of the hallmarks associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He believes essentially that James was bi-sexual.
Russell examines the likelihood of James’s alleged 15 lovers. He lists as definites: Queen Anna; Robert Carr, 1st. Earl of Somerset; and George Villiers, 1st. Duke of Buckingham, ‘the handsomest man in the whole world.’ Almost definites include: Patrick Gray. 6th. Lord Gray; Alexander Lindsay, 1st. Lord Spynie; and one woman, Anne Murray, Countess of Kinghorne. There are other very strong contenders. Then and now, court gossip and political comment are not always reliable and the boundary between friendship and intimacy is sometimes difficult to determine.
It is tempting to get overwhelmed in these personal details and not to remember some of the other events in his life, not just the Bible that carries his name
It is tempting to get overwhelmed in these personal details and not to remember some of the other events in his life, not just the Bible that carries his name. He was an advocate of peace and tried to keep Britain out of the Thirty Years War. He advocated without success the creation of a joint English and Scottish Parliament and was keen to harmonise relations between the two countries (he only once briefly revisited Scotland in 1617, after he became King of Britain). He tried with a degree of success to steer a path between Catholicism and extreme Protestantism.
For the later part of his reign in Scotland, he managed to stabilize relations with the nobility, supported by John Maitland. His early days in England were helped by inheriting Elizabeth’s main adviser, the very able, Robert Cecil. His relationship with the English Parliament was less successful.
Russell’s verdict on James is a sweeping but a justified one: ‘He was deeply flawed – a hypocrite, a genius, a liar, a loyal friend, a pedant, a loving father, a spendthrift, and a man who was capable of great vindictiveness and great kindness. In the last two decades of his life, alcohol and fear wrapped themselves around him, sapping his energies and blunting his intelligence…James became too dependent on his favourites, and too indifferent to public opinion. Yet, unlike either of his parents or his successor, James died in power and in his bed, with his son at his side and a man he loved in the same room.’
His style is rumbustious and highly readable, but it is based on impeccable scholarship
Russell’s book is a real page turner. His style is rumbustious and highly readable, but it is based on impeccable scholarship. He is very good on character, scene and detail. He relishes an interesting anecdote and a telling statistic. The book shows all the potential of a TV mini-series.
Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain’s First King| Gareth Russell|William Collins
John Kirkaldy has a PhD in Irish History, worked for many years with the Open University and has been reviewing for Books Ireland since 1980. He has contributed to three Irish history anthologies, a school textbook, and has been involved in a number of Open University History documentary series. Aged 70, eight years ago, he went round the world on a much delayed gap year described in his book, I’ve Got a Metal Knee: a 70-Year Old’s Gap Year. His latest book Life—A Fifty Fifty Path? is about luck and chance in history.
