A baby crowned in a cradle. A teenage king kidnapped by his own nobles. A husband sailing into lethal storms to bring home his bride—and returning convinced that enemies could conjure weather. Our latest deep dive follows James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, as fear, faith, and politics collide to shape a reign that still echoes today.

We start with the messy family tree that made James heir to both Scotland and the Tudor bloodline, then drop into the chaos of regents, assassinations, and the Ruthven Raid that hardened his belief in centralized royal power. From strict Calvinist tutoring to a lifetime of scanning the horizon for danger, you’ll hear how early trauma forged a scholarly, suspicious monarch who wrote about divine right and self-preservation in the same breath.

The story turns dark on the North Berwick Witch Trials, where tortured confessions, court gossip, and theological zeal fueled prosecutions—and led James to publish Demonology. Yet this same king authorized a work of peace: the King James Bible. We unpack the Hampton Court Conference, why Puritans and bishops clashed, and how 47 translators crafted the musical cadence that would define English worship and literature for centuries.

Along the way, we revisit the Gunpowder Plot through James’s own eyes, explore his controversial reliance on favorites like the Duke of Buckingham, and humanize the ruler behind the portraits: brilliant, awkward, affectionate, and endlessly wary. His end—dysentery in 1625—was humbling, but his legacy is immense: a union of crowns and a translation that outlived every factional fight.

If you love smart history with humor, nuance, and a few bar-side detours, press play. Then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more curious listeners find the show. What part of James’s story surprised you most?

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) – “James VI and I”
Author: Jenny Wormald
https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/oxford_dnb_9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-14592

The National Archives (UK) – Gunpowder Plot & James I materials
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/gunpowder-plot/

British Library – King James Bible Project
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/king-james-bible
https://www.bl.uk/treasures/kingjamesbible/introduction.html

Daemonologie (1597) – King James VI
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25929

North Berwick Witch Trials – University of Edinburgh “Survey of Scottish Witchcraft”
https://witches.is.ed.ac.uk/

Historic Environment Scotland – Mary, Queen of Scots
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/learn/learning-resources/mary-queen-of-scots/

Westminster Abbey – James I Burial & Death
https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/james-i

Royal Household / Royal.uk – James VI and I Profile
https://www.royal.uk/james-i

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