The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain

by Anna Whitelock

A panoramic history of the arrival of the Stuarts, and how the reign of King James I saw England reach new corners of the globe

'A majestic, brilliant account of the birth of an empire. Spectacularly good' PETER FRANKOPAN

'With its gripping storytelling combined with historical rigour, The Sun Rising is just the right kind of zesty treatment a neglected period needs. Fresh and fabulous' LUCY WORSLEY

In 1603 England was on the edge of crisis. Queen Elizabeth I had died, bringing the Tudor line to an end.

Enter King James, who reached London after an unprecedented procession from Scotland. James established a new dynasty on the English throne and the first 'united' kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales was born. The Stuarts had arrived.

But first, this new 'Great Britain' had to play catch up. England was behind, but James's global ambitions began to shift the tide. As ships departed London for America, Russia, Persia, India and Japan, as the fledgling East India Company began to intertwine ever closer with the crown and as the English began to travel beyond the bounds of their island in greater numbers than ever before, the seeds of the future British Empire were sown.

Long overshadowed by the glory of Elizabeth I and the fatal nadir of Charles I, the reign of the first King of Great Britain is at last told in a new light. Taking in everything from the historic voyage of the Mayflower to the alliance between James and the Persian shah over a joint love of silk, The Sun Rising revolutionises our understanding of the early seventeenth century and the figures that forged a global Britain.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2025

About the author

Anna Whitelock gained her PhD in History from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 2004 with a thesis on the court of Mary I. Her articles and book reviews on various aspects of Tudor history have appeared in publications including the Guardian, the Times Literary Supplement and BBC History. She has taught at Cambridge University and is now a lecturer in Early Modern History at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Reviews

[Shay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book as a project had so much potential. On many counts, it did not reach that potential. On her own terms, though, Whitelock has probably succeeded. In the introduction, she states that The Sun Rising is intended to provoke similar works on global perspectives of James and his reign. By this criterion, Whitelock has been successful. The Sun Rising is an interesting read and is a work of great contextualisation. Along those lines, it will be a very useful work as a point of reference. I can’t help but feel slightly underwhelmed at it though. It seems that, in her lines of argument and enquiry, Whitelock established many threads but leaves them loose with a somewhat puzzling conclusion. Particular highlights were the chapters on the Virginia Company and Plymouth Plantation. There is little referring back to European contexts and developments regarding the consequences of the first two parts of this book. Indeed, part 3 does refer to the European landscape but only on its own terms and a political narrative of the Thirty Years War which is already familiar. Globalised it ain’t! What really bugged me in the conclusion was James being classified as a supporting character, in favour of entrepreneurs. Yet, throughout the book he is an active force. There’s no acknowledgment of the subtlety of royal image and kingship in the early modern period. Admittedly, James may not have boarded the Mayflower himself or sailed to Persia to kiss hands in the pursuit of cheap silk. Yet, his image and his figure were omnipresent as ways of introducing the British throughout the world in this narrative. It was to him that the Indonesians pledged fealty on Pulo Run. It was under his charter that these companies operated. He was an essential figurehead for the political, diplomatic, and economic ventures of the explorers of the Jacobean period. In that, he was not supporting but essential as a point of reference and a conveyor of authority. Taken on the political terms of the early modern period, which I would argue are the best criteria to evaluate and argue against, James was anything but a supporting figure. This judgement I have reached using the evidence Whitelock presents. I can’t help but feel as if it is not a coherent product nor does the analysis shape up to do justice to the commendable research she has clearly undertaken in preparing this book. I hope this book - somewhat deflating yet still interesting - acts as a spur for future scholarship on a global Jacobean political scale. Particularly with regard to image fashioning. In that, Whitelock has done the scholarship a great service which deserves to be recognised.

[History Today]

Given the decades-long saturation of Tudor-era popular history, it is welcome that attention seems to be shifting to the Stuarts, studies of whom have begun to make their presence felt in popular nonfiction. Anna Whitelock’s The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain is among a slew of new books on James to appear in the year which marks the 400th anniversary of his death.

Whitelock’s book is not a biographical study of the first Stuart king of England. It eschews discussion of his much-storied personal life (with George Villiers, duke of Buckingham, mentioned only when relevant and Robert Carr, earl of Somerset, not at all). Although broadly chronological, The Sun Rising comprises a series of thematic chapters covering what was a ‘golden age’ of exploration, navigation, trade, and propaganda, beginning with James’ accession to the English throne in 1603. This presents hazards: the nearly four decades covering James’ life and reign in Scotland are only briefly outlined. This leads to some issues with Scottish history: Linlithgow Palace becomes Linlithgow Castle, the duke of Lennox is demoted to an earl, and, although Queen Anna is treated fairly, some questionable old ideas are propagated, notably that she and James ‘grew apart’ in their later years; if anything, the pair came closer together in commiseration over shared illnesses. Whitelock’s focus is on the politics of the period 1603-25, when Anglo-Spanish peace prevailed, and international trade increased accordingly. What emerges is a much-needed panoramic view of Jacobean Britain as it was projected across the globe.

Read the rest of the review at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/...

Steven Veerapen teaches at Strathclyde University and writes on the 16th century.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Stuart king of England is finally beginning to get his due. After years bogged down in Tudor drama, historians are turning their attention to the next royals, with multiple biographies of James I publishing this year. First up is Whitelock's study of James through his impact on British identity and expansion. The beginning of his reign in England saw a peace with Spain that allowed shipping to turn from war to trade and travel. Whitelock examines the different results this caused, from trade in the east to colonies in the west. She also examines James's desire for peace and unity in Christendom, his determination to stay out of war versus what his Parliament and people wanted. This is not a traditional biography of the king - he disappears for multiple chapters - but a look at how his determination to unite his realms into one Great Britain had a knock on effect that dominoed across the world.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the reign of Elizabeth, England had become more insular. Elizabeth was more concerned with protecting her realm than with dealing with world powers. However on the accession of James, the situation changed. Here Whitelock looks at the reign of James from the perspective of how England's relationships with its neighbours developed and how the new nation of Britain became more of a global player.
I really enjoyed this book as, although it does describe all the pomp and ceremony, it doesn't focus on King and Court to the extent that other accounts of this time do. In fact it portrays James as a more forward-thinking monarch than many have assumed him to be.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

King James I united the crowns of Scotland and England and propelled England into global trade—but his reign was also marked by scandal and the seeds of future religious conflict. This book explores the complexities of his reign, highlighting his lasting impact on the monarchy, international relations, and the arts.

This interesting and informative biography of James I, after he was crowned King of England, focuses on the rise of globalization. The book is concise, engaging, and easy to read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Marg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly engrossing

I'm not a student of history but I found this book entertaining as well as informative. James' reign was a time of great change - much-expanded trade, widespread rejectionof catholicism, increasing use of the term Britain and the development of settlements on the east coast of what became the USA. The account of Charles and friend travelling to Spain incognito was astonishing.

[Lou Chodosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatly added to my understanding of British history. Explains James ‘ role in the development of the British empire; with excellent information on the beginning of the English colonies in North America. Very glad to have read it, and recommend it to anyone interested in British history.

[James Galileo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read if you want to be introduced to the beginning of the British Empire.