Few kings have been more savagely caricatured or grossly misunderstood than England's first Stuart. Yet, as this new biography demonstrates, the modern tendency to downplay his defects and minimise the long-term consequences of his reign has gone too far. In spite of genuine idealism and flashes of considerable resourcefulness, James I remains a perplexing figure - a uniquely curious ruler, shot through with glaring inconsistencies. His vices and foibles t only undermined his high hopes for healing and renewal after Elizabeth I's troubled last years, but also entrenched political and religious tensions that eventually consumed his successor. A flawed, if well-meaning, foreigner in a rapidly changing and divided kingdom, his passionate commitment to time-houred principles of government would, ironically, prove his undoing, as England edged unconsciously towards a crossroads and the shadow of the Thirty Years War descended upon Europe.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
The History Press Ltd
ISBN-10
0750955627
ISBN-13
9780750955621
eBay Product ID (ePID)
216714267
Product Key Features
Author
John Matusiak
Format
Hardback
Language
English
Topic
History: World & General
Genre
History: World & General
Dimensions
Height
234mm
Width
156mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
Stroud
Content Note
8 Plates, Color; 16 Illustrations, Black and White
Author Biography
John Matusiak is a frequent contributor to History Review and History Today, and is the author of Henry V, Henry VIII, The Tudors in 100 Objects, and Wolsey.