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The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I
James VI and I has long endured a mixed reputation. To many, he is the homosexual King, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated – and analysed – Tudor and Stuart forebears. But who was he really? To what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?
In this new biography, James’s story is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous, outrageous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of James VI and I as his contemporaries knew a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality. With reference to letters, libels and state papers, it casts fresh light on the personal, domestic, international, and sexual politics of this misunderstood sovereign.
In this new biography, James’s story is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous, outrageous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of James VI and I as his contemporaries knew a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality. With reference to letters, libels and state papers, it casts fresh light on the personal, domestic, international, and sexual politics of this misunderstood sovereign.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published November 5, 2024
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October 26, 2025on-hold
nothing wrong with the book, its great, just wanna continue it at a later date
nothing wrong with the book, its great, just wanna continue it at a later date
February 22, 2025
King James VI and I is by far one of the UK's (and it was he who first tried to popularise that term) more interesting and sympathetic monarchs. Not only did he prefer peace he disliked war which makes him so much more preferable to the crowned poltroons heavy on medals and light on close acquaintance with battlefields that we have been forced to endure. That he was also intelligent, an author, well able to hold his own in argument with theologians or scholars makes him particularly. As much as Elizabeth he had no interest in seeing into mens souls and he tried to allow an element of toleration But here, as with so much else, history was against him.
Is there another period in UK history where the opposition to royal power was so unattractive? This is not a case of romantic cavalier versus dour round head nonsense (see my footnote *1 below). Who outside the 'wee free' churches of Scotland and the Orange sectarians of Northern Ireland has a good word for Puritans today? It is useful to be reminded how much the Puritans were not simply dour spoil sports banning christmas but raving lunatics who salivated at the thought of killing anyone who didn't take their dim predestinarian view of existence. That James ruled for so long over both Scotland and then England is testimony to both his intelligence and skill.
Steven Veerapen's biography is a delight to read and should help resurrect James's reputation. He is definitely one of history's more interesting monarchs. I doubt if an evening with him would have been boring.
This biography is also an excellent example of how much our perception of historical figures and periods is tied to the era in which we live. James's sexuality, sexual habits and preferences have over the years attracted a vast amount of prurient but also ridiculous speculation. I was astonished that Antonia Fraser in her 1974 biography wrote the most laughable nonsense about his 'tendencies' and their origins. Her remarks are almost homophobic in their stupidity yet she was liberal-left leaning in her politics. It is salutary to see how trapped authors and historians are in their time.
In many ways it is likely that, within court circles, and maybe elsewhere, there was less 'moral' objection to James behavior than anytime until the 21st century. That is because James's behavior with his favorites was viewed through the prism of royal favorites not morality. That James was attacked by his Puritan enemies goes without saying but what annoyed them was not 'moral' strictures but the belief that such behavior was effeminate and was the reason James did not declare war and rush off to kill catholics. Although the author doesn't draw this parallel the same belief that 'homosexual' behavior was aligned with pacifism played a central role in the Eulenburg affair in Wilhelmine Germany [sorry to be a broken record but look it up].
Mr. Veerpan is delightful relaxed about James's sexual preferences and accepts them but also points out the dangers of foisting modern terms or understandings into the past. He also rightly points out that although we can place as many young men in bed with James we don't know what they 'did'. That they did more than discuss theology or poetry or simply sleep he has no problems accepting but warns that we cannot be sure of much else. The elasticity in defining what sexual act is was proven by
President Clinton.
A first rate and wonderful biography of a monarch I have come to like and admire and it provides a wonderful foundation for reading 2024's 'The Scapegoat: the Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham' by Lucy Hughes-Haslett.
*1 I doubt if anyone has parodied English history as well as '1066 and All That' [do yourself a favour and read it] which memorably said: 'With the ascension of Charles I to the throne we come at last to the Central Period of English History (not to be confused with the Middle Ages, of course), consisting in the utterly memorable Struggle between the Cavaliers (Wrong but Wromantic) and the Roundheads (Right but Repulsive).'
Is there another period in UK history where the opposition to royal power was so unattractive? This is not a case of romantic cavalier versus dour round head nonsense (see my footnote *1 below). Who outside the 'wee free' churches of Scotland and the Orange sectarians of Northern Ireland has a good word for Puritans today? It is useful to be reminded how much the Puritans were not simply dour spoil sports banning christmas but raving lunatics who salivated at the thought of killing anyone who didn't take their dim predestinarian view of existence. That James ruled for so long over both Scotland and then England is testimony to both his intelligence and skill.
Steven Veerapen's biography is a delight to read and should help resurrect James's reputation. He is definitely one of history's more interesting monarchs. I doubt if an evening with him would have been boring.
This biography is also an excellent example of how much our perception of historical figures and periods is tied to the era in which we live. James's sexuality, sexual habits and preferences have over the years attracted a vast amount of prurient but also ridiculous speculation. I was astonished that Antonia Fraser in her 1974 biography wrote the most laughable nonsense about his 'tendencies' and their origins. Her remarks are almost homophobic in their stupidity yet she was liberal-left leaning in her politics. It is salutary to see how trapped authors and historians are in their time.
In many ways it is likely that, within court circles, and maybe elsewhere, there was less 'moral' objection to James behavior than anytime until the 21st century. That is because James's behavior with his favorites was viewed through the prism of royal favorites not morality. That James was attacked by his Puritan enemies goes without saying but what annoyed them was not 'moral' strictures but the belief that such behavior was effeminate and was the reason James did not declare war and rush off to kill catholics. Although the author doesn't draw this parallel the same belief that 'homosexual' behavior was aligned with pacifism played a central role in the Eulenburg affair in Wilhelmine Germany [sorry to be a broken record but look it up].
Mr. Veerpan is delightful relaxed about James's sexual preferences and accepts them but also points out the dangers of foisting modern terms or understandings into the past. He also rightly points out that although we can place as many young men in bed with James we don't know what they 'did'. That they did more than discuss theology or poetry or simply sleep he has no problems accepting but warns that we cannot be sure of much else. The elasticity in defining what sexual act is was proven by
President Clinton.
A first rate and wonderful biography of a monarch I have come to like and admire and it provides a wonderful foundation for reading 2024's 'The Scapegoat: the Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham' by Lucy Hughes-Haslett.
*1 I doubt if anyone has parodied English history as well as '1066 and All That' [do yourself a favour and read it] which memorably said: 'With the ascension of Charles I to the throne we come at last to the Central Period of English History (not to be confused with the Middle Ages, of course), consisting in the utterly memorable Struggle between the Cavaliers (Wrong but Wromantic) and the Roundheads (Right but Repulsive).'
September 19, 2023
The House of Stuart has somewhat smarted in the shadows of history. Of all its monarchs, King James VI/I is perhaps the most ethereal, held at arm's length, enveloped – and lampooned – by many a myth. Sandwiched between the infamous Tudors and the brutal Wars of the Three Kingdoms, his reign can be overlooked - or glossed over to evade a closet-full of skeletons, which have haunted his reputation. An uncouth man and uninspiring king wracked by strange paranoias. Perverse, slobbery, and long tongued. Lecherous in his pursuit of male courtiers. However, Steven Veerapen’s stunning new biography, The Wisest Fool, is a key that unlocks the real James, his life and times.
Unpicking the most notorious of these threads, Veerapen weaves a fresh and honest tapestry of James’s character in all its imperfect glory. It is based on scholarly study and achieved with appropriate gravitas. Though King of Scots from the age of one, he had been subject to prolonged physical abuse. Born to an unstable throne, devoid of parents and parental love, he faced multiple kidnaps and was politically groomed. All James could do was put his faith in God. Self-preservation bred an intrinsic belief in Divine Right. By reassessing James’s intimate relationships, Veerapen dispels the taboos that have clouded them, thus enhancing understanding of the king’s sexual and emotional needs.
James’s turbulent youth did, however, provide him with an inner courage and grounding, which helped him hone his political skills and develop into a rather astute sovereign. Though James eventually escaped his abusers, he remained scarred by his chaotic childhood. Then, after decades of patience, he inherited the throne of England in 1603. Although this took James out of Scotland, it didn’t remove the lax ways of the Scottish court that had become a part of him. The chapters effortlessly guide readers through the intricate Tudor-Stuart jigsaw and the European stage, providing eloquent and insightful political analysis that always hits the mark. I particularly enjoyed how James’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth I stood out from the pages; the shifting dynamics that influenced it are so well described.
Only by examining his time as King of Scotland can later years be fully understood – and this is expertly done. In 1617, James had ruled England for 14 years. It’s easy to forget that this was also the year of his Golden Jubilee in Scotland. By this time, he had the family he had always craved, as well as deep and fulfilling love in the form of George Villiers. For all the tragedies that marked James’s life, and his flaws, he died in his bed as king to three kingdoms. His dreams of political and religious union might not have been fulfilled, but James had steered a costly course of peace – enough for the concept of Great Britain to take root.
Unpicking the most notorious of these threads, Veerapen weaves a fresh and honest tapestry of James’s character in all its imperfect glory. It is based on scholarly study and achieved with appropriate gravitas. Though King of Scots from the age of one, he had been subject to prolonged physical abuse. Born to an unstable throne, devoid of parents and parental love, he faced multiple kidnaps and was politically groomed. All James could do was put his faith in God. Self-preservation bred an intrinsic belief in Divine Right. By reassessing James’s intimate relationships, Veerapen dispels the taboos that have clouded them, thus enhancing understanding of the king’s sexual and emotional needs.
James’s turbulent youth did, however, provide him with an inner courage and grounding, which helped him hone his political skills and develop into a rather astute sovereign. Though James eventually escaped his abusers, he remained scarred by his chaotic childhood. Then, after decades of patience, he inherited the throne of England in 1603. Although this took James out of Scotland, it didn’t remove the lax ways of the Scottish court that had become a part of him. The chapters effortlessly guide readers through the intricate Tudor-Stuart jigsaw and the European stage, providing eloquent and insightful political analysis that always hits the mark. I particularly enjoyed how James’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth I stood out from the pages; the shifting dynamics that influenced it are so well described.
Only by examining his time as King of Scotland can later years be fully understood – and this is expertly done. In 1617, James had ruled England for 14 years. It’s easy to forget that this was also the year of his Golden Jubilee in Scotland. By this time, he had the family he had always craved, as well as deep and fulfilling love in the form of George Villiers. For all the tragedies that marked James’s life, and his flaws, he died in his bed as king to three kingdoms. His dreams of political and religious union might not have been fulfilled, but James had steered a costly course of peace – enough for the concept of Great Britain to take root.
November 25, 2025
Excellent history of a king of two kingdoms.
October 5, 2024
well researched history,far from being a dry scholarly work.
December 3, 2025
The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I traces the life of King James from cradle to grave, detailing his reigns as both king of Scotland and king of England while focusing (though not exclusively) on his preoccupation with the concept of family and his search for relationships of a familial and romantic nature. Another theme throughout the book is his ongoing struggles with financial matters and overspending, hence the subtitle. It is a well written biography, and I especially appreciated that every period of King James' life is given equal attention. However, I must say that I almost felt as though this approach was taken too far. Throughout the book, important events such as the Gowrie conspiracy, the gunpowder plot or the trial of the Somersets are dealt with in a somewhat superficial manner in order to make room for detailed breakdowns of less immediate or more tangentially related aspects, which makes for a somewhat unsatisfying reading experience. In particular, the emphasis placed on Queen Anna often became distracting. While I agree that any good biography of King James should include a good deal of information on Anna, and while I think that she has, overall, been rather unfairly treated by most historians, the amount of space dedicated to her masques, letters, finances etc. unfortunately comes at the expense of things more central to James himself. At times, it felt almost as though I was reading a biography of Anna rather than James, which is not a bad thing in and of itself, but trying to cram an entirely separate biography into another biography makes for a somewhat messy and unsatisfying read, which I unfortunately felt was the case here.
November 2, 2025
Bisexual king (literally)
February 10, 2024
James VI & I was a king I knew little about, save for the usual jibes about his sexuality and perceived failure as successor to Elizabeth I. Actually, no, that's not quite true; the little more I'd quite recently learned was from the historical fiction trilogy starring Ned Savage, also by Steven Veerapen.
Having been challenged by Steven to research and write about an event which took place during James' reign, I was only too pleased to be able to read this biography of the monarch. I had one, overriding question I wanted answering, pertinent to my topic. Was it answered? No. Well, yes. Perhaps! Taken without further explanation, you'd be forgiven for assuming that this book just didn't cover the area, or did mention it and presented a subjective opinion. But you'd be wrong. In fact, Steven did go into detail about it - and, indeed, cited sources whch have judged one way or another with abandon - and it's his care and diligence which was so informative. In regards to my own work, I have far more to take away than I could've imagined, and a whole new layer of circumstance which probably impacted the event I'm looking at that I haven't seen explicitly addressed elsewhere. I'd never even have considered it without this excellent biography - and, apparently, neither has anyone else that I'm aware of!
Now that I've dealt with the me-related stuff, here's what I thought of the work as a whole: brilliant! We've all got memories of being bored rigid in history lessons, poring over laborious texts and wondering if we'll make it to the end with a pulse. This one really is different. Yes, there are many many many names to remember (of course there are - the man was a king of two separate realms, with two lots of courtiers, governments, churches, legal systems, toothbrushes and carpet slippers), but they're often presented in memorable ways with little reminders as we meet them again etc. As I've already mentioned, the level of detail indicates a thorough and intricate amount of research, which has clearly been a true labour of love. The introduction promises a fresh look at a much-maligned king, often misunderstood. It delivers, absolutely. Steven has certainly stared the dogmatic rhetoric usually served up right in the eye, and dared to be as objective as possible with the evidence available. He's also been unafraid to call James weak/hypocritical/downright naive where it's merited. So, the whole result is a layered, fascinating and altogether human portrait of a man too-often disregarded and maligned unneccesarily. It's also likely to have you laughing outright in places, due to a great combination of behaviour we'd today consider ridiculous, and Steven's wry/sarcastic humour.
If you want a realistic and entertaining account of a unique time in the monarchy of the British Isles, which doesn't resort to concluding the subject should either be filed under hero or villain (with nothing in between), then I can't recommend this biography enough.
Having been challenged by Steven to research and write about an event which took place during James' reign, I was only too pleased to be able to read this biography of the monarch. I had one, overriding question I wanted answering, pertinent to my topic. Was it answered? No. Well, yes. Perhaps! Taken without further explanation, you'd be forgiven for assuming that this book just didn't cover the area, or did mention it and presented a subjective opinion. But you'd be wrong. In fact, Steven did go into detail about it - and, indeed, cited sources whch have judged one way or another with abandon - and it's his care and diligence which was so informative. In regards to my own work, I have far more to take away than I could've imagined, and a whole new layer of circumstance which probably impacted the event I'm looking at that I haven't seen explicitly addressed elsewhere. I'd never even have considered it without this excellent biography - and, apparently, neither has anyone else that I'm aware of!
Now that I've dealt with the me-related stuff, here's what I thought of the work as a whole: brilliant! We've all got memories of being bored rigid in history lessons, poring over laborious texts and wondering if we'll make it to the end with a pulse. This one really is different. Yes, there are many many many names to remember (of course there are - the man was a king of two separate realms, with two lots of courtiers, governments, churches, legal systems, toothbrushes and carpet slippers), but they're often presented in memorable ways with little reminders as we meet them again etc. As I've already mentioned, the level of detail indicates a thorough and intricate amount of research, which has clearly been a true labour of love. The introduction promises a fresh look at a much-maligned king, often misunderstood. It delivers, absolutely. Steven has certainly stared the dogmatic rhetoric usually served up right in the eye, and dared to be as objective as possible with the evidence available. He's also been unafraid to call James weak/hypocritical/downright naive where it's merited. So, the whole result is a layered, fascinating and altogether human portrait of a man too-often disregarded and maligned unneccesarily. It's also likely to have you laughing outright in places, due to a great combination of behaviour we'd today consider ridiculous, and Steven's wry/sarcastic humour.
If you want a realistic and entertaining account of a unique time in the monarchy of the British Isles, which doesn't resort to concluding the subject should either be filed under hero or villain (with nothing in between), then I can't recommend this biography enough.
December 11, 2024
A fantastic biography of the late King James VI of Scotland and I of England. I am honoured to mention that I've learnt more about the king within this book than I have throughout my interests with the Jacobean history of both England and Scotland. Full of curiosities on his personal life as well as debunking myths and allegations on about the King himself. I highly recommend to read this book if you're into the man himself as well as knowing about any Early Modern relations with the Jacobean period.
November 7, 2023
An excellent read! One of the best accounts of the 'wisest fool' I've come across, Veerapen writes in an informative, engaging and, crucially, an entertaining manner!
A must read for lovers of all things Jacobean!
A must read for lovers of all things Jacobean!
March 24, 2024
Good book. It was long but well written. Enjoyed it.
June 22, 2024
Not imaginative but certainly interesting and enjoyable. Works well as an intelligent and in depth introduction to James. A very good book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews