'Spectacularly good' PETER FRANKOPAN
'Fascinating' THE TIMES
'Game-changing' JOHN GUY, LITERARY REVIEW
'Gripping' LUCY WORSLEY
'Scintillating' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB

A panoramic history of the arrival of the Stuarts, and how the reign of King James I saw England reach new corners of the globe

In 1603, England was on the verge of crisis. Enter King James.

Four centuries ago James Stuart came to the throne with a dream of a united and global Great Britain. His reign saw expeditions reach Russia, India, Persia, China, Japan and the shores of the New World, while the East India Company grew ever closer to the crown. In this epic and panoramic history, Anna Whitelock casts the long-overlooked monarch in a new light - and explores how his reign sowed the seeds of the future British Empire.