The Sun Rising - by Anna Whitelock (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A gripping and thought-provoking account of the reign of King James I, who united Britain and made England the global power we know today.

The British monarchy of today descends directly from one leader: King James I, whose huge--and much overlooked--influence launched England as a major international trade power, established the King James Bible, and united the royal families of Scotland and England under one house and one monarch.

Along with his wife, Anna of Denmark, and his children--Henry, Elizabeth, and Charles--James sought to broker agreements between the warring Catholic and Protestant princes in Europe and establish an era of peace. Instead, James set the groundwork for his children to grow up and champion a militant Protestantism that plunged the entire continent into religious war.

At his ascension, England was economically behind, but James's global ambitions began to shift the tide: As ships departed London for America, Russia, Persia, India, and Japan, the fledgling East India Company began to intertwine ever closer with the crown.

And James himself was dogged by scandal, running a court famously reputed for vice and venality. But his court was also rich in art, drama, and literature. Shakespeare's King Lear and Macbeth--said to have been inspired by James himself--were both first performed at the Jacobean court.

Set across England and the Continent, over the course of twenty years--beginning with the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 and the ascension of James I and ending in 1625 with Charles I becoming king--The Sun Rising presents a rich and compelling portrait of the royal family and a story of dynastic power politics, which ultimately and viciously split Europe.

Review Quotes

"A very lucid, exciting and well researched narrative of a part of British history which has been relatively neglected and yet is of vital and enduring importance for the development of Britain."
--Ronald Hutton, author of The Witch

"A picturesque portrait of the nascent Great Britain in an extraordinary age of unification, expansion, and commercial experimentation. With sympathy and vigor, Anna Whitelock showcases many facets of this emerging world at home and overseas, ruled over by a fascinating monarch too often neglected and misunderstood by posterity."
--Malcolm Gaskill, author of The Ruin of All Witches

"With its gripping storytelling combined with historical rigor, The Sun Rising is just the right kind of zesty treatment a neglected period needs. Fresh and fabulous."
--Lucy Worsley

"Richly evocative and brilliantly provocative, The Sun Rising transports its readers far from Whitehall in pursuit of James I's vision for a united, global Britain. From the plantations of Ireland and trading posts in Indonesia to the courts of Russia and Japan, Anna Whitelock's compelling narrative looks afresh at James I, and at the idea of Britain that emerged during his reign--and which still resonates today."
--Alice Hunt, author of Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade, 1649-1660

"Fascinating, razor-sharp and shot through with uncanny resonances for the interesting times in which we live."
--Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves

"Big, bold, bracing history . . . Whitelock gives us wide vistas, sharp insights and immersive prose; I can almost taste the salt and smell the sulphur."
--Jessie Childs, author of The Siege of Loyalty House

"Assembling a large cast of explorers, envoys and entrepreneurs, Whitelock vividly underscores the vitality and global ambitions of early seventeenth-century Englishmen and their first Stuart king."
--Clare Jackson, author of Devil-Land

"A majestic, brilliant account of the birth of an empire. Spectacularly good."
--Peter Frankopan, author of The Earth Transformed

About the Author

Anna Whitelock is a historian, author and broadcaster. She is Professor of the History of Monarchy at City, University of London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy. Anna is an international media commentator on monarchy, public history and heritage, and the Tudors and Stuarts. She is also the Principal Investigator on a major AHRC project: The Visible Crown: Queen Elizabeth II in the Caribbean: 1952-present. She is the author of Mary Tudor: England's First Queen and The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court.