King James and the History of Homosexuality

James VI & I, the namesake of the King James Version of the Bible,
had a series of notorious male favourites. 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
favourites had a negative impact within the royal family, at court, in
Parliament, and in the nation at large. Contemporaries raised the
spectre 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 moulded 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. Persons acquainted with the history of
sexuality will find surprising premonitions here of modern homosexuality
and homophobia. General readers will find a world of political intrigue
coloured by sodomy, pederasty, and gender instability. For readers new
to the subject, the book begins with a helpful overview of King James's
life.