Sun Rising: Blood, Greed and Intrigue-How the King of Scots Won the Throne of England in 1603 - Hardcover

DE LISLE Leanda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007126646 ISBN 13: 9780007126644

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2005

Synopsis

# Runner Up, Saltire First Book of the Year Award
A brilliant history of the succession of James I of England, and the shifting power and lethal politics that brought him to the throne.In the dawn of the 17th-century when Mary Queen of Scots was dead and Elizabeth I grown old, the eyes of the English turned to Mary’s son, James VI of Scotland. Leanda de Lisle's book focuses on the intense period of raised hopes and dashed expectations between Christmas 1602 and Christmas 1603, during which Elizabeth died, James was crowned and the ancient enemies of England and Scotland were ruled by one monarch for the first time.

With its focus on a narrow space of time, this immensely readable history illuminates a wider period, telling in dramatic detail how the suffocating conservatism of Elizabeth’s rule was replaced with that of the energetic James. It is a story in which fortunes were made and lives lost as courtiers vied for wealth and influence. As well as painting a superb portrait of Court life, de Lisle explores the forces that shaped James’s life, his separation from his mother and the violence of his Scottish kingdom; his marriage to the vivacious Anna of Denmark and the failed rebellions, government corruption and religious persecution which set the stage for James’s accession to the throne of England.

Drawing extensively from original sources and contemporary accounts, this vivid account of the cusp of the Tudor and Stuart centuries brings to life a period of glamour and intrigue that marked the beginning of a new age.

About this title

About the Author

Leanda de Lisle was educated at Somerville College Oxford, where she took an honours degree in Modern History. A successful journalist and writer she has been a columnist for the Spectator, the Guardian, Country Life and the Daily Express as well as writing for Daily Mail and Sunday Telegraph. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and three children. This is her first book.

Review

'This masterly account recaptures superbly the edgy, wary feel of court and country at the key moment when Tudor England was transformed into Stuart Britain. In emphasising the faults of Queen Elizabeth I and the acuity of her successor King James I, Leanda de Lisle has brilliantly subverted the traditional story' Andrew Roberts "A deep and fascinating account. Leanda de Lisle's close focus draws us into palace corridors, country houses and city streets where the excitement, intrigue and danger of the times are palpable." Jane Dunn 'Leanda de Lisle has done what historians, to date, have overlooked. She spots the story in the seemingly uneventful handover of power to James I after Elizabeth's death, and rediscovers its thrilling drama. James's accession was far from inevitable -- de Lisle vividly recounts the uncertainty, greed, intrigue and hypocrisy that defined the new age. We enter a slippery, twilight world where legitimacy is debased and conspiracy and corruption thrive. This is an original, informative, absorbing account, written with verve and style.' John Guy 'In After Elizabeth, Leanda de Lisle has brought Elizabeth I's court to life and asks questions about the history of the time. Elizabeth emerges from the book as fearful and isolated, not the confident queen we all learnt about at school. James I is a young, intelligent and astute man, not a fool as we all believed. Raleigh, a hero for schoolboys, was in fact a gross, ill-mannered man, who even plotted with Spain to overthrow James. A fascinating tale of intrigue and power struggles.' Jonathan Spencer-Payne, The Bookseller

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007126646
• ISBN 13: 9780007126644
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384