Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in Western European Studies
Episode: Steven Veerapen, "The Wisest Fool: The Life of James VI and I" (Birlinn, 2023)
Description: James VI and I has long endured a mixed reputation. To many, he is the homosexual King, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated – and analysed – Tudor and Stuart forebears. But who was he really? To what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?In this new biography The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I (Birlinn, 2023) by Dr. Steven Veerap...