The Sun Rising: King James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain, 1603-1625
Anna Whitelock
Oct 2025 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Alix Dunmore
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11 hr 4 min
Unabridged
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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.
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.
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 internati...
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About the author
Anna Whitelock is a historian, author, and broadcaster. She is professor of the history of monarchy at City St George’s, University of London and director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy. Whitelock is an international media commentator on monarchy, public history, and heritage, as well as on the Tudor and the Stuart dynasties. She is also the principal investigator on a major Arts and Humanities Research Council project, The Visible Crown: Queen Elizabeth II and the Caribbean, 1952 to the Present. She is the author of Mary Tudor: England’s First Queen and The Queen’s Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth’s Court.
Anna Whitelock is a historian, author, and broadcaster. She is professor of the history of monarchy at City St George’s, University of London and director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy. Whitelock is an international media commentator on monarchy, public history, and heritage, as ...
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