First published 2005
Leanda de Lisle examines the pivotal year between Christmas 1602 and Christmas 1603, when the Tudor age ended and the Stuart era began. She focuses on James VI of Scotland's path to becoming James I of England following Elizabeth I's death. De Lisle traces the forces that shaped James before his English coronation: his violent Scottish upbringing, his separation from Mary Queen of Scots, his marriage to Anna of Denmark, and the rebellions and corruption that defined his early reign. The book captures the deadly competition among courtiers seeking favor with the new monarch. De Lisle argues that James's energetic rule replaced Elizabeth's restrictive conservatism, marking England's entry into a new age. Drawing from original documents and contemporary records, she reveals how this single year transformed both kingdoms and united ancient enemies under one crown for the first time.
Genres: history, historical-fiction, political-science, biography-memoir
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, political-machinations
Setting: England, Scotland, United Kingdom
Period: 17th Century, Early 1600s
384 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins