the wisest fool, by Steven Veerapen

A new biography of King James VI and I. 

King James VI and I (1566 - 1625) is perhaps best known as the successor to Queen Elizabeth.  His mother was the ill fated Mary Queen of Scots, a mother he barely knew, who was sent to the block to be executed. She wore a wig to the event, and when the executioner lifted her dismembered head up by the hair, it fell and hit the ground, revealing a close cropped grey crown. His most lasting fame rests with the official translation of the Bible, which is still read widely today as the King James Bible. 

Historian and novelist Steven Veerapen has written a spirited and often juicy biography of the king, somewhat trying to rescue his reputation as a coward, fearful of war, while also striving to paint a truthful portrait of his reign. They were politically tumultuous times when James was established on the Scottish throne, with interminable wars raging between Catholics and Protestants. Staying on the right side of these hostilities was a high wire act. Many participants came to a grisly end. When reading about this period, it’s always a shock to realise how young the key players were. 

King James VI and I loathed war and conflict, and so did his best to stay out of harm’s way. In this he was fairly successful, however he could have played the politics better. He spent lavishly and was always in debt, and he had a strong distaste for his subjects, avoiding them at all costs. He could have made his reign run a bit smoother if he had paid more attention to public opinion, and run his finances more responsibly. He was also overly fond of alcohol and rich foods. One wonders if these vices contributed to his death at the age of 58. 

The King’s lovelife is examined in considerable detail. He sired nine children with his wife, Anne of Denmark, with many of them dying young. He also kept a string of male lovers on the side, and showed little interest in keeping his affections for them private. (Probably a hard feat to achieve, as a King’s life had little to no privacy.)

An entertaining and instructive history covering the reigns of three fascinating royals, whose lives intertwined in all sorts of fraught and complicated ways  - Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth and King James VI and I. 

The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I, by Steven Veerapen. Published by Birlinn. $39.99

Review by Chris Saliba

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