Available for pre-order now (2nd December)
‘Elizabeth was king,
Then James was queen.’
– Unknown English author (1623)
A BBC History Book of the Year
Waterstones History Book of the Year 2025
Esquire Magazine's #1 Must-Read Nonfiction Book
A Times Summer 2025 Must-Read
A Daily Mail Summer 2025 Must-Read
An Audible Best of 2025
“A stellar example of how to write historical biography.” - Helen Carr
“Books like this don’t come along very often. Told with Gareth Russell's characteristic verve and exquisite eye for detail, it is a story so compelling and surprising that it feels as if it has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years. A stunning achievement and a must for history fans everywhere” - Tracy Borman
A groundbreaking and insightful exploration of King James I, enigmatic successor to Queen Elizabeth I.
From the assassination of his father to the explosive political and personal intrigues of his reign, this fresh biography reveals as never before the passions that drove King James I.
Gareth Russell invites us into James’s world, revealing a monarch whose reign was defined by both his public power and personal vulnerabilities. For too long, historians have shied away from or condemned the exploration of his sexuality. Now, Russell offers a candid narrative that not only reveals James’s relationships with five prominent men but also challenges the historical standards applied to the examination of royal intimacies.
This biography stands as a significant contribution to the understanding of royal history, illuminating the personal experiences that shaped James’s political decisions and his philosophical views on masculinity and sexuality.
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Praise for The Six Loves of James I
“A very intimate portrait; James comes alive in full flamboyance. . . Russell expertly weaves the bedchamber gossip into the tapestry of a tumultuous reign. The book is serious when it needs to be and fun when appropriate. Academic historians are often reluctant to discuss emotions and rather limp when it comes to sex. Russell, in contrast, immerses himself in James’s complex personality, producing a portrait that is robust and exquisitely detailed… a superbly nuanced biography.”
—The Sunday Times
“Confident, compelling. . . a sober, rounded portrait of James Stuart, which rescues him from the caricature, product of later parliamentarian bias, of the slobbering (not true) weakling (also not true) who was forever fiddling with his codpiece (there is no contemporary evidence for this). Instead we meet a complicated man, an obsessive hunter, an intellectual who wrote decent poetry and books, superstitious, impulsive, passionate, and above all, deeply paranoid. This last detail is little wonder. The most striking lesson of this propulsive biography is just how brutal life was 450 years ago.” —The Guardian
“Superb. . . stands apart in its mixture of acute psychological insight and intricate research, as he brings the backbiting and power struggles of the Jacobean court to life with wit and vigor. His greatest achievement here is to redefine James as one of Britain’s few queer kings, and he dispenses with the euphemisms and evasiveness of other historians in this stirring account of the man who would be queen.” —Alexander Larman, The Observer
“A nuanced and compassionate portrait of a complex personality.” –Kirkus Reviews
“An invigorating, playful read.” - Esquire
“The Six Loves of James I is just brilliant. Superb scholarship, thrilling insight and gripping investigations that will keep you riveted until the end. A fascinating insight into a complex King and the country in a period of cataclysmic change - a political thriller combined with scrupulous research and analysis; an unforgettable and revolutionary insight into this often overlooked monarch.”
—Kate Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Queen Victoria: The Unexpected Rise of Britain’s Greatest Monarch
“Books like this don't come along very often. Told with Gareth Russell's characteristic verve and exquisite eye for detail, it is a story so compelling and surprising that it feels as if it has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years.”—Tracy Borman, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Stolen Crown
“Gareth Russell cannot write an uninteresting book. . . James is that most interesting of men—one whose best acts contribute to his own destruction. It is a warts and all story told with compassion.” —Philippa Gregory
“Powerful and personal. . . Thoroughly researched and bursting with delicious details … Masterful and utterly captivating. This is Russell at his absolute best.”
—Nicola Tallis, author of Young Elizabeth
“A pacy, accessible book, it celebrates a force of nature who lived life on his own terms, despite the strife it caused him.”
—The Herald (Edinburgh)
“Written with enviable clarity and full of fascinating asides.”
—The Scotsman
“A highly-readable, highly-relevant tale of passion, politics and, above all, people.”
—Steven Veerapen, author of Witches: A King’s Obsession
“A substantial and remarkable contribution to the study of the history of Stuart Britain. . . . Russell is one of the great living historians and is setting the (very high) standard for the rest of us, and we are very lucky to have him and his work.”
—Andrea Zuvich, author of Ravenous: A Life of Barbara Villiers, Charles II’s Most Infamous Mistress
“More than just a biography, it is a reclamation. … This book is a vital contribution to our understanding of James, his kingship, and the complex tapestry of love and power.”
—History Today
“Move aside Henry VIII and his six wives.”
—The Belfast Telegraph