King James VI and I, the first monarch to reign over Scotland, England and Ireland, has a mixed reputation. To many, he is simply the homosexual King, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, or the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated Tudor and Stuart forebears. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Dr. Steven Veerapen - author of The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I - whose research has revealed King James as a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality.  This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg. Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code TUDORS. Sign up now for your 14-day free trial here: https://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/receipt?code=tudors&plan=monthly You can take part in our listener survey here >``