Cover -- James I -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Chronological table -- Introduction: 'a bad king'? -- 1 James I: the man -- 2 The court, favourites, and patronage -- 3 Financial problems -- 4 James I and his parliaments -- 5 Foreign policy -- 6 James I and the English church -- Conclusion -- Select bibliography.

James I has traditionally been portrayed as a foolish and unpleasant man. However, the last two decades have seen a rehabilitation of James I by historians, who have begun to appreciate that in some areas, in particular foreign policy and religion, he pursued sensible policies and achieved a considerable degree of success. Christopher Durston deals with the personality and political ability of the monarch, the court, finance, parliament, foreign policy and religion, including his record in Scotland and the legacies of Elizabeth I. The arguments of the revisionist historians concerning James's relations with his parliaments are examined in detail, as well as the recent `postrevisionist' backlash.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.