Sexuality of James VI and I

Uncommon card · No. 122645

From the age of thirteen until his death, the life of King James VI of Scotland and I of England (1566–1625) was characterised by close relationships with a series of male favourites. The influence James's favourites had on politics, and the resentment at the wealth they acquired, became major political issues during his reign. The extent to which the King's relationships with the men were sexual was a topic of bawdy contemporary speculation. James certainly enjoyed the company of handsome young men, sometimes shared his bed with his favourites and was often passionate in his expressions of love for them. James was married to Anne of Denmark, with whom he fathered eight children. He railed fiercely against sodomy. In Basilikon Doron, he addressed to his son that "so is there some horrible crimes that yee are bound in conscience neuer to forgiue : such as...Sodomie." Most historians and commentators today affirm that, given the evidence, James's relationships with some or all of his favourites...

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