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 minimise 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 uniquely curious ruler, shot through with glaring inconsistencies, whose vices and foibles not only undermined his high hopes for healing and renewal after Elizabeth I's troubled last years, but, contrary to current belief, helped entrench those self-same political and religious tensions that eventually consumed his successor. 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. 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, founded by Henry VIII in 1539. Throughout his career he specialised mainly in the Tudor period, and eventually became a frequent contributor to the journal History Review before being invited to write a biography of Henry V, which was published by Routledge in October 2012. His biography of Henry VIII will be published in July 2013 by THP. SELLING POINTS: ? Suggests that James's earlier achievements in Scotland, though not inconsiderable, have nevertheless been markedly exaggerated by those authors attempting to rescue his reputation ? Argues that the prospects for the Gunpowder Plot's immediate and long-term success were much greater than has been recognised hitherto ? New light cast on a whole series of James's relationships
