1603: The Death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Return of the Black Plague, the Rise of Shakespeare, Piracy, Witchcraft, and the Birth of the Stuart Era

by Christopher Lee

1603 was the year that Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors, died. Her cousin, Robert Carey, immediately rode like a demon to Scotland to take the news to James VI. The cataclysmic time of the Stuarts had come and the son of Mary Queen of Scots left Edinburgh for London to claim his throne as James I of England.

Diaries and notes written in 1603 describe how a resurgence of the plague killed nearly 40,000 people. Priests blamed the sins of the people for the pestilence, witches were strangled and burned and plotters strung up on gate tops. But not all was gloom and violence. From a ship's log we learn of the first precious cargoes of pepper arriving from the East Indies after the establishment of a new spice route; Sharkespeare was finishing Othello and Ben Jonson wrote furiously to please a nation thirsting for entertainment.

1603 was one of the most important and interesting years in British history. Christopher Lee, acclaimed author of This Sceptred Isle , unfolds its story from first-hand accounts and original documents to mirror the seminal year in which Britain moved from Tudor medievalism towards the wars, republicanism and regicide that lay ahead.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Shakespeare, British Literature, Tudor Period, European History, Historical

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Christopher Lee was a British writer, historian, and broadcaster, best known for creating and writing the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 documentary series This Sceptred Isle. His career spanned journalism, academia, military service, and historical writing.
After an early life at sea, he studied history at London University before joining the BBC as a defence and foreign affairs correspondent, with postings in Moscow and the Middle East. He later transitioned into academia, becoming the first Quatercentenary Fellow in Contemporary History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and conducting research at Birkbeck College. He also served in the Royal Navy's Joint Intelligence Reserve Branch, reaching the rank of captain.
Lee’s This Sceptred Isle, originally broadcast in 1995, chronicled British history from Roman times to the 20th century and was expanded with additional series covering the 20th century and the British Empire. His historical works include 1603, Nelson and Napoleon, and Monarchy, Past, Present… and Future?, as well as an abridgment of Winston Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. He was also a prolific radio playwright, penning over 100 plays and series for BBC Radio 4.
Beyond writing, he served as a defence and foreign affairs adviser to the British Forces Broadcasting Service for 30 years and was involved in policy analysis.
He divided his time between Sussex and Florence, Italy, and was married to portrait painter Fiona Graham-Mackay. Lee passed away in 2021 at the age of 79.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

1603 covers a fascinating and momentous year in British history. It was the year that the great Queen Elizabeth I died, and James V of Scotland, travelled to London to claim the throne as King James I, effectively uniting England with Scotland by bringing them under the rule of a single monarch.

As King of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (at that time the kings of England still referred to themselves as kings of France).
He was the first monarch to describe himself as King of Great Britain.

In that year a terrible plague broke out in England, killing around 40 000 people. Treatises and pamphlets were drawn up on the plague, giving us an important insight into the practise and philosophy of medicine at this time.

There was a massive outbreaking of witch-burning that year, in a superstitious age, and the author describes the beliefs and practises regarding witchcraft and the penalties it incurred.
The author documents the case of the trial of the trial of Elizabeth Jackson for allegedly bewitching a young girl by the name of Elizabeth Glover.

Lee covers the politics and economics of that year, detailing the philosophy of the divine right of kings which King James fervently believed in.
The theologian so the time who believed in this doctrine, it must be said strongly qualified it with the condition that the king must rule according to the laws of G-D and man. Thus even the rule of absolute monarchs at this time was far more limited than those of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th and 21st centuries where everything go's to 'defend the revolution'.

Few aspects of life in Britain that year are left out of this volume, including farming and trade.
The author begins with a chapter on the history of England and Scotland and of the royal dynasties leading up to 1603. He concludes with chapters on piracy, the East India Company and a fascinating chapter on Japan, visited for several years from 1600 by English explorer William Adams.

[Jill H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, I did not like this book. Being a lover of British history I was disappointed that I added nothing to my knowledge from reading it. It seemed to be written at a Junior High school level. The first half of the book didn't even deal with the year 1603......instead it related the saga of how Elizabeth the First came to the throne, her relationship with Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI's ascension to the throne of Scotland prior to becoming James I of Great Britain. This is basic British history which was not what I expected and there was quite a bit of repetition. I knew that I was losing interest when I started skimming to the next chapter in search of something new and enlightening. I certainly do not pass myself off as an expert in British history but this book was almost an introductory textbook to the transfer of power from the Tudors to the Stuarts. My apologies to those who enjoyed it..........I just was not one of them.

[Zee · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I could keep my eyes open, this book was both informative and lacking. The dullness, I'll attribute to being nonfiction. After all, the book's very witty at times. That said, there's literally nothing said about the New World. There are chapters that have more copy and pasting from primary sources than my high school research papers, which is saying something. There's this random chapter about Japan that has nothing to do with Englabd and doesn't even try to get connected to England, it's just there. I don't know why.
So, informative, yeah. I have plenty to think about and ponder over. But is it life-changing? Not really.

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well put together popular history. While not a biography of Elizabeth or James, the author does include enough of both ruler's lives to understand where England and Scotland were at the time of transition from Tudor to Stewart rule. Obviously ,the further back he gets, the more general the history, but the book does give the reader a good idea of where things stood in the British Isles in 1603 - politically, religiously, economically, and internationally. From there, the book moves forward into changes brought about by the death of Elizabeth and coronation of James I - in many ways, surprisingly minor, and in others, pretty dramatic. Later chapters deal with specific topics of the period - the black plague(but also medicine as practiced in the era), local and national government, the theater and poetry, religion and witchcraft (both as heresy and as a secular crime), piracy and the nascent Royal Navy, war in Ireland, changes in Japan, and the East India Company. There is also a fairly lengthy section of the downfall, trial, and execution of Sir Walter Raleigh. I feel like the author did a pretty good job of hitting the "sweet spot" for writing popular history - the general reader shouldn't feel lost but the book isn't dumbed down and includes a good selection of excerpts from primary texts (letters, legal documents, books and pamphlets, poems). 3.5 stars.

[Amy Bunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book dealing with the "death of Queen Elizabeth I, the return of the black plague, the rise of Shakespeare, piracy, witchcraft, and the birth of the Stuart era" certainly sounds fascinating. The year 1603 may have been interesting and important enough to merit an entire book, but not this particular book. As much as it purports to be about England in 1603, the author really spends so much time on other years that the year in question really serves more as an anchor point than a subject. Lee seems to pick topics that interest him, then proceeds to explore them without a care for when, or even where, some of the events are occurring. (Consider for example, a rather random chapter on the political situation in Japan, which Lee ties in by making a tenuous link with the effects on English trade.)

The randomness of this work would be somewhat excusable, but for the fact that the book as a whole still ends up being uninteresting and confusing. Lee assumes way too much knowledge on the part of the readers, briefly alluding to important historical events, then barging onward through the text without pausing to explain what those events were and why they were important. The author also has an annoying tendency to refer readers to the latter part of his book for clarification and elucidation. (There is no reason why a reader on page 75 of narrative history should be asked to flip forward to page 321 of the same book.)

The pictures, original quotations, and some of the subjects were interesting enough to earn this book two stars, but no more than that.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but I can't take a history book seriously that

a) lacks sources
b) makes it sound as though Catherine of Aragon's split from Henry VIII was entirely amicable
c) feels necessary to point out that the Protestant reformation occurred in other places besides England.

[Claire Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read into the first year of James I of England's reign and the trials and tribulations of the death of a queen and the passing of monarchy to a new king

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of info badly put together

[Ted Waterfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Christopher Lee, presents a convincing argument that the year 1603 should be considered an important turning point in English history. With the passing of Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors, and the crowning of James VI of Scotland as James I of England and the beginning of the Stuart monarchy, the year 1603 represented the dawning of an eventual clash of ideas. James I will cling to an increasingly discredited belief in the Divine Right of Kings while the growing influence of Puritanism within Parliament begins to lead to an inevitable clash that will manifest itself in the coming decades.

Besides the differences in ruling philosophies, Christopher Lee describes the devastation on London's population of the Plague, rampant in 1603, and efforts to combat it; James' fascination with witch trials, and his efforts to avoid war with Spain by withdrawing Elizabeth's Sea Dogs from the oceans (which, along with some contrived rumors, falsehoods, and failed overseas adventures), will cost one of her favorite Sea Dogs his head.

The English people had a deep respect for the Monarchy, as Lee points out, but not necessarily the Monarch. And as James I's reign draws to an end, he is deeply despised and England is rife with dissent among those who would strive for power.

An insightful book and a compelling argument for the year 1603.

[David Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the rather long subtitle of the book, I was expecting a more wide-ranging story. More than half of the text is about the succession of James I. There's not a lot here about the Black Plague or Piracy or Witchcraft. Not mentioned in the subtitle are a chapter on the British East India Company. Oh, and there's a chapter on Japan as well that strikes me as mostly off-topic, but so it goes.

The meat of the book, the rise of James I, is quite thorough and covers a wide array of topics such as religious unrest and international affairs. We get an introduction to the reason anybody remembers James (the King James Bible), but not the story of its creation.

This book falls short of an "academic work" for me, as it lacks any notes or even a bibliography. It does have an index and a few pictures. For me, a good book leads me to other books. Without notes or bibliography, this book fails on that front.

Still, I enjoyed reading it and learned some things along the way.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesing history. He did his best to make 1603 as broad, and especially deep as documentary evidence could accommodate. In particular, the more common folk at the opening of the 17th century as well as the Stuart Era. That was a mind opening experience as so much of the history written about that era focuses on The playhouses, the conspiracies of Essex and Ralegh, and Elizabeth's passing. (There is a scant, 15 page chapter on "The Poets, with Shakespeare's name only mentioned 5 times in the entire book!--and no quotes! Witchcraft, Piracy, Conspiracies, the Plague, and the founding of the East India Company get a respectable examination, all written in an eminently well-paced narrative style. I reccommend to those that would appreciate a broad, yet thorough panoramic view of the period.

[Melisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this novel due to the fact that I usually read Tudor era nonfiction. I wanted to read about what happened when that all came to a close. this book started off painfully slowly, but finally picked up its pace and interest. I would definitely advise readers to perhaps scan some of the many letters shared in the early chapters, for many of them are not needed. Also, the author at first skips all over the place in his topics during the introduction. so much so that I almost stopped reading due to worry that the whole book would be thus. Fortunately, it soon found it's way, and became much more readable.

[Roy Draa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating coverage of a year of transition between Tudor and Stuart England. A must read for an appreciation of political/economic and “pop” culture of the age.

Enjoyed this on the same level as great Tudor biographies, Will in the World, and Shakespeare’s Library.

Only drawback was the paucity of citation and footnotes, however the author is otherwise punctilious about naming his primary sources and writers for those who want to delve deeper.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book, with lots of original documents quoted extensively, which really gave me a feeling for the time. It was rather weighty, and not so much a page turner, but I enjoyed it.

[Don Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting era. The death of the Virgin Queen and the assent of a new King from Scotland. From a family perspective this is an important time in history for it seriously affected my ancestors. They were forced to eventually leave Scotland for Ireland and settle on the Ulster plantations however I know little about James the first or all the behind the scenes goings on. English, Protestant, Politics, etc. Was well written and full of facts and trivia. Enjoyed it and found lots to entice me to look for a few other books on that time period such as Rebellion - Peter Ackroyd and Killers of the King - Charles Spencer. Not certain where all of this will lead but it was an excellent start.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything that happened in 1603 in Britain . Plague, piracy, Queen Elizabeth I’s death, James I’s ascension to the throne, and a whole mess of historical documents. It’s a hard slog through the whole book, but the sheer amount of first-person sources is worth it. If you’re in the mood to read pages of Elizabethan clerks’ meticulous records, this is the book for you.

[Christine]

Although I really didn't learn a ton about James I - this did provide a good overview of the end of the Elizabethan era in England and all that happened in the year after James' corronation. Of course the book ends with a teaser about how James' heir, Charles I became the first King to be beheaded and now I need to read something about that.

[Enid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the first year of the reign of James I of England/VI of Scotland. He's the guy who ordered a new translation of the bible, thus we have the King James version; but there's a lot more to him than that. The dust jacket says, '1603 was one of the most important and interesting years in British history.' This is one that I plan to read again.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

In places it's a little too dry and a little too centered on the politics that didn't really matter. However, when it's talking about the attitudes and customs of the year, and exploring the impact of many of that year's events, it's a great read.

[KR · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book if you want to get an overview of the importance of the change of monarchs at the time. It covers a variety of topics of explaining the genealogy as to how James VI could claim the throne, from the plague, to pirates, and the church.

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I abandoned this book early on. I found it dry and disconnected. While it includes many first person accounts and I don't doubt the scholarship, the book lacks continuity. I was excited to read this book and am sad to say I discarded it after several chapters.

[Kem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly remarkable year. Read the book and find out why.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was shortly before english immigrants began coming to the colonies in larger and larger numbers. What was happening to their society that made an unknown land look good?

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up reading this one. It was written by a British guy and there was a lot of British references that I didn't understand.

[Danette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading books on Elizabeth I and her century since my teen-age years. I found one interesting because the author's writes like a storyteller.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

All most all of this book is based in facts that are about England and its up and coming empire except one chapter on Japan that just jumps out of no where.

[Lorri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried to read it twice but found it way too boring both times and I like non-fiction.

[Lora Hassani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love history and especially the Tudor period of England. This book picks up where that period ends. Very interesting. I do wish the dog had not chewed on the corners.

[Jill Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting time in the world! I would definitely not want to live back then, but it sure is interesting to read about.