A HISTORY TODAY BOOK OF THE YEAR

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.

'A majestic, brilliant account of the birth of an empire. Spectacularly good' - PETER FRANKOPAN

'Gripping storytelling combined with historical rigour . . . Just the right kind of zesty treatment a neglected period needs. Fresh and fabulous' - LUCY WORSLEY

Four centuries ago, James Stuart came to the throne with the 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, and the East India Company grow ever-closer to the crown. In this epic and panoramic history, Anna Whitelock casts the long-overlooked monarch in a new light – and tells how it was under his reign that the seeds of the future British Empire were sown.

'Stereotypes are out; new ways of defining James and his world are in . . . Game-changing’ - LITERARY REVIEW