James I: Scotland's King of England

by John Matusiak

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 minimize the longer term consequences of his reign has gone too far. For, in spite of genuine idealism and flashes of considerable resourcefulness, James I remains a perplexing figure. A flawed, if well-meaning, foreigner in a rapidly changing and divided kingdom, his passionate commitment to time-honoured principles of government would, ironically, prove his undoing, as England edged unconsciously towards the crossroads and the shadow of the Thirty Years War descended like a pall upon Europe.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, Scotland, Historical

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2015

About the author

John Matusiak studied at the universities of London and Sussex before embarking upon a teaching career that eventually spanned more than thirty years. For over a third of that time, he was Head of the History Department at Colchester Royal Grammar School.

Reviews

[Ivor Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good detailed history of James 1st and his mother Mary Queen of Scots

Linked a lot of complicated history through from Tudor times until James death. In modern times we would say that his chaotic nature might have resulted from being 'damaged' throughout his childhood. The book highlights the different natures of the reformation in England and Scotland. Very detailed in parts and you need to keep a grip on the names of the noble families and their feuds as they crop up randomly again and again.

[Lois]

This book is SO boring I couldn't finish it. I regularly read biographies and non fiction so I'm going to lay this on the author.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a social history. This book was a biography of James 1. I think Matusiak dealt with James's marriage, Gunpowder plot and sexuality/ loneliness with a unique slant in favour of a biographical perspective: what James reaction was, what his loved ones looked like and said, and the lives of his children.
This book didn't go overboard with mentioning English reaction to James or his predecessors reign, which I appreciated. I enjoyed hearing about the factions and favoured, even the Howards too on this case.
Really a very well padded volume.
I found out a lot more about Mary Queen of Scots and that family tree in the first couple of chapters.
There was one intense chapter about James I's theological understanding and witchcraft.
Overall, this was enlightening and interesting. Personally I found the style of writing really well wrought.

[Michael Bully · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing about James I and VI can not be easy. Having to take in the complicated power politics of both Scotland and England, and the complexities of the king's own personality is a challenge. This biography works well, starting right from reign of Mary Queen of Scots - and quite admire the unsentimental portrayal of Mary, and attempts to cover the main aspects of James' reign(s) . There are anecdotes and his relationship with his 'favourites' appear, but the author resists the temptation to get too caught up in speculation and gossip. Neither does he go into great details about the Gowrie Conspiracy and the Gunpowder Plot. The author seems to want to present all the important aspects of James' life in equal measure. There is a very useful bibliography of up to date source material and works on King James.
But can't give it five stars. Found the lack of footnotes or endnotes frustrating, as there were times I would like to have known about the sources the author was drawing on. Also got the impression that there was nothing particularly new or startling in this biography. Felt the publicity surrounding the book misleading in this respect.

[Ronald Mcdivitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accessible history of James VI & 1 life

Easy to read, good balance over the whole of James’s life.
Especially good on the influences on his childhood on his later character and. Behaviour and in describing the relationship between James and Elizabeth I.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book on James I. A bit dry and dense, but still informative and worth reading.

[LEGO Yoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably one of the only history books I’ve read where the author will call the subjects out for being stupid or ignorant, rather than trying to compare them to modern sensibilities lol.

A really interesting book, James I was a really strange and complex guy lol, I really liked how we got an in depth view of every facet of his personality.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read about someone I knew very little about. I've never thought being royalty sounded like an enviable life style but being King of Scotland sounds like the worst gig in the British Isles. The poor guy spent his time in Scotland being kidnapped, pushed around and just avoiding assassination attempts. By the time he moved to England, he had no clue how to handle his responsibilities and never did figure it out.

[FluffyPurples · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. Having read so much about the Tudor period of history, I was keen to broaden my knowledge of the dynasty that followed & at first, I really enjoyed this. However, it is so disjointed that I kept having to skip back, thinking I’d missed a few pages by accident.
It hops back & forward between dates & events in such a muddled & confusing style that eventually it just became irritating.
I felt like the author had gone off on a tangent about one particular event then suddenly thought oh damn I forgot to mention a different one, so just added something completely random in a weird place in the book, so that it didn’t flow.
I persevered to the end but then felt that the author had gotten bored by then & couldn’t wait to finish - I sympathised as I felt the same!!!

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England that compares and contrasts his roles in Scotland and England concerning parliament, religion and his court. There is a strong emphasis on how James responded to the challenges of his reign. Since more than half of the book covers his reign in Scotland before succeeding to the English throne, the events of his English reign including the Gunpowder Plot and the Virginia Company sometimes pass by quickly. The author also makes unnecessary negative comments about some of the women at James' court including the Duke of Buckingham's mother, who is described as a "termagant" and Queen Anna who is described as beautiful in a "bland" way. Overall, however, the book covers the major events of James's life and provides some insights into his character.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated the way this was written.

"Of course, it is said, we may assume, therefore, one can assume, we see, etc etc"

does not need to be between every sentence. It becomes infuriating, interruptive, and tedious to read.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid biography of James I and VI, which despite its title covers his youth and years as King of Scotland, and the switch to England reflects James's own priorities once he inherited the larger and more-importantly wealthier kingdom.

Definitely a personal rather than political biography, I think it could have been improved perhaps by a few more detailed asides into the likes of the Gun Powder Plot, but perhaps would then have lost focus.

[Steven Shook]

John Matusiak's James I: Scotland's King of England provides a thorough overview of the life and reign of James Stuart. The major issues that arose in James' life are all covered, even the threat upon his life prior to birth by an alleged attempt to have his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, miscarry. The book is, structurally, well written and reads quickly, though it is somewhat of a dull book to read. Given the numerous instances of double-dealing and and intriguing plots (e.g., gunpowder plot) that arose during James I's rule, one would have thought the author would have written about these in a more plot-setting tone rather than a "here's what basically happened folks" perspective.

I was also a bit turned off by Matusiak's constant use of adjectives and adverbs throughout the book that seemed to purposely paint a picture of an event, place, or person as he alone perceived it. Well written histories tell a good story, present the pertinent facts to set context, and then assess the whole with multiple perspectives and plausible interpretations. After reading James I, I came away believing that Matusiak is anti-Catholic and perceives Mary Queen of Scots as a weak woman and a dolt. The is due to the book being written as a glossy overview of James I's life; it never digs deep enough into any particular event to fully grasp the full context of an issue or event that he monarch had to deal with.