I found this bio pretty fascinating -- by which I mean I could barely put it down even while trying to meet a work deadline. James VI and I was a terrible husband, an indifferent father, & a fickle, feckless romantic companion to several men (although he did enrich & elevate his favorites). His reign wasn't a disaster, but he wasn't a great king & it's easy to see how it opened cracks that led to the English Revolution only a few years later.