James I

by Michael Brown

Conditioned by a childhood surrounded by the rivalries of the Stewart family, and by eighteen years of enforced exile in England, James I was to prove a king very different from his elderly and conservative forerunners. This major study draws on a wide range of sources, assessing James I’s impact on his kingdom. Michael Brown examines James’s creation of a new, prestigious monarchy based on a series of bloody victories over his rivals and symbolised by lavish spending at court. He concludes that, despite the apparent power and glamour, James I’s ‘golden age’ had shallow roots; after a life of drastically swinging fortunes, James I was to meet his end in a violent coup, a victim of his own methods. But whether as lawgiver, tyrant or martyr, James I has cast a long shadow over the history of Scotland.

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Brown (born 1965) is Professor of Scottish History at the University of St. Andrews. His main research interests centre on the political society of Scotland c.1250 - c.1500 and on the relationships between the various communities of the British Isles during the same period. He has published studies of the practice and ideology of royal and aristocratic lordship in Scotland. His books include James I (1994), The Black Douglases (1998), The Wars of Scotland, 1214 - 1371 (2004) and Disunited Kingdoms: Peoples and Politics in the British Isles, 1280 - 1460 (2013).

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an academic read and not a light romp down a historical lane. Not to excuse his actions, I'm not sure but that I would be less than thrilled with a relative who starved my sibling to death and allowed me to be held in captivity for 16 years, taking over the lands that would have provided the funds for clothing, household goods, and pay for the household small though it was. Nor was James I interested in being a sidelined in a Stewart castle somewhere like Robert II and Robert III while a relative was an uncrowned King of Scots with an eye to becoming king. Uneasy is the head that wears the crown with grasping magnates all around!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb resource, though a fairly dry and academic tome. Read in conjunction with author's book on the Black Douglases for a good understanding of this era's politics and characters.