James VI, Britannic Prince

'This book offers a splendid new account of King James VI’s life from his birth in 1566 down to his accession to the English throne in1603. It is beautifully written, persuasively argued, and deeply researched in primary sources. Alexander Courtney’s picture of James’s personality and Scottish kingship is entirely coherent and consistently original. Courtney draws on much new material that has previously been neglected by historians, and as a result his book presents what is by far the most detailed and compelling treatment of James VI’s Scottish rule that has yet been published.' David L. Smith, University of Cambridge, UK 'This remarkable book is a gripping account of a child-monarch becoming a man in a profoundly dysfunctional kingdom and preparing to become king of the whole of Great Britain and Ireland. Based on deeply impressive research, this a story that is told – and very, very vividly told – with flair, and it changes large parts of the long-established narrative. This is a major contribution not only to Scottish and British History but to our understanding of the geopolitics of Europe in an age of turmoil.' John Morrill, University of Cambridge, UK