King James: Scholar, Lover, and Monarch

Against the paranoid backdrop of the Scottish witch trials, a murder plot involving King James and some of his lovers took place.

To make matters more juicy, it centres around the Bonnie Earl of Moray, who is said to be the most handsome man in Scotland.

How does this situation create a conflict of interests for King James VI & I?

Joining Kate today is the wonderful Gareth Russell, author of Queen James: A New History About the Life and Loves of Britain’s First King, James Stuart, to help us unravel this twisty and tantalising murder plot.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.