This is the story of James the first of England, told through his 'favourite' the Duke of Buckingham. James I was the successor to Elizabeth the first, he was the son of Mary Queen of Scotts and was raised in Scotland and was the scottish king James VI. James had many 'facourites' who were people he apparently had a physical relationship with, but he appointed them to high offices. The Duke came for an average family, not royal, which was part of the issue with people who thought he was reaching above his status. However, he appeared to be a talented hard working person who was more than a pretty face.
The history is very detailed and in some ways too much so. The author gets bogged down in details that don't really enhance the story, I found myself skipping large sections of the book to move ahead.
