The Sun Rising

A panoramic history of the arrival of the Stuarts, and how the reign of King James I saw England reach new corners of the globe

‘A majestic, brilliant account of the birth of an empire. Spectacularly good’ PETER FRANKOPAN

‘Stereotypes are out; new ways of defining James and his world are in . . . Game-changing’ John Guy, LITERARY REVIEW

In 1603, England stood on the edge of crisis. Elizabeth I was dead, and the Tudor line had come to an end. From the ashes of the old order rose a new dynasty – the Stuarts – and with it, the dream of a united Great Britain.

But first the country had to play catch up. The new King James sent expeditions to distant Russia, the spice-rich courts of India, the islands of Japan and the shores of the New World. As the English began to travel beyond their island more than ever before, and as the fledgling East India Company grew closer with the crown, the seeds of the future British Empire were sown.

In this epic, panoramic story, Anna Whitelock at last casts the reign of the first King of Great Britain in a new light.

‘Well-informed, fluid and fascinating’ Gerard DeGroot, THE TIMES

‘A much-needed panoramic view of Jacobean Britain as it was projected across the globe’ Steven Veerapen, HISTORY TODAY

‘Fascinating, razor-sharp and shot through with uncanny resonances for the interesting times in which we live’ HELEN CASTOR