King James and the history of homosexuality

By Michael B. Young

Subjects: James i, king of england, 1566-1625, Biography, Gay kings and rulers, In literature, Literature, Kings and rulers, Sexual behavior, Male homosexuality, Great britain, history, stuarts, 1603-1714, History

Description: "James VI & I, the namesake of the King James Version of the Bible, had a series of notorious male favorites. No one denies that these relationships were amorous, but were they sexual? Michael B. Young merges political history with recent scholarship in the history of sexuality to answer that question. More broadly, he shows that James's favorites had a negative impact within the royal family, at court, in Parliament, and in the nation at large. Contemporaries raised the specter of a sodomitical court and an effeminized nation; some urged James to engage in a more virile foreign policy by embarking on war. Queen Anne encouraged a martial spirit and molded her oldest son to be more manly than his father. Repercussions continued after James's death, detracting from the majesty of the monarchy and contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War."