The Six Loves of James I

King James I was born in 1566, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Lord Darnley of Scotland. James had been surrounded by palace intrigue since he was in his mother’s womb. The coups and plots against his mother continued after James’ birth and led to her abdication and James becoming king at 13 months old. The loss of his mother due to her imprisonment and his father due to a probable assassination led to James’ upbringing by the Earl and Countess of Mar, while his education came from the fearsome George Buchanan. Attempts to overthrow his leadership only emboldened James to become more assertive. While his marriage to Princess Anna of Denmark united two kingdoms and Anna was viewed as influential to James, it was often men behind the scenes, such as Robert Carr and Alexander Lindsay, whose impact is still being understood today.

Complex, fraught, passionate, and scandalous relationships are a predominant theme explored in the eventful life of James I (and VI) in “The Six Loves of James I”, a revelatory biography from author Gareth Russell (“The Palace”). Russell has penned an exhaustive and rich history of the renowned Scottish monarch who ruled through increasingly turbulent times into the 17th century.