Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The King's Assassin: The Secret Plot to Murder King James I
    The King's Assassin: The Secret Plot to Murder King James I
    The King's Assassin: The Secret Plot to Murder King James I
    Audiobook12 hours

    The King's Assassin: The Secret Plot to Murder King James I

    Written by Benjamin Woolley

    Narrated by David Timson

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    "...David Timson narrates this sweeping history of the court of King James I...Timson's emotionally demonstrative tones echo throughout this complex study of Villiers and the British court, adding suspense to every turn..." — AudioFile Magazine

    An absorbing account of the conspiracy to kill King James I by his handsome lover, the Duke of Buckingham, a historical crime that has remained hidden for 400 years.

    The rise of George Villiers from minor gentry to royal power seemed to defy gravity. Becoming gentleman of the royal bedchamber in 1615, the young gallant enraptured James, Britain’s first Stuart king, royal adoration reaching such an intensity that the king declared he wanted the courtier to become his ‘wife’. For a decade, Villiers was at the king’s side – at court, on state occasions, and in bed, right up to James’s death in March 1625.

    Almost immediately, Villiers’ many enemies accused him of poisoning the king. A parliamentary investigation was launched, and scurrilous pamphlets and ballads circulated London’s streets. But the charges came to nothing, and were relegated to a historical footnote.

    Now, new research suggests that a deadly combination of hubris and vulnerability did indeed drive Villiers to kill the man who made him. It may have been by accident – the application of a quack remedy while the king was weakened by a malarial attack. But there is compelling evidence that Villiers, overcome by ambition and frustrated by James’s passive approach to government, poisoned him.

    In The King’s Assassin, acclaimed author Benjamin Woolley examines this remarkable, even tragic story. Combining vivid characterization and a strong narrative with historical scholarship and forensic investigation, Woolley tells the story of King James’s death, and of the captivating figure at its center.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateDec 4, 2018
    ISBN9781250221155
    The King's Assassin: The Secret Plot to Murder King James I
    Author

    Benjamin Woolley

    Benjamin Woolley is an author and broadcaster whose work covers subjects ranging from the origins of virtual reality to the history of colonial America. His books have been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese, and his documentaries broadcast across the world.

    More audiobooks from Benjamin Woolley

    Related to The King's Assassin

    Related audiobooks

    European History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Richest Girl In The World

      Aug 12, 2020

      The Richest Girl In The World
      10 min read

    • Article

      A Special Relationship

      Mar 20, 2024

      A Special Relationship
      5 min read

    • Article

      Dictators, Dresses And Dorgis: The Books That Throw Unexpected Light On Elizabeth II

      Sep 9, 2022

      Thousands of books were written about the Queen. Many were banal, some syrupy, a few hateful and most just plain wrong. But there are gems, too: biographies and histories but also novels that throw sharp and unexpected lights on this most singular –

      4 min read

    • Article

      James V: The Incognito King

      Dec 17, 2021

      James V: The Incognito King
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Making Of Elizabeth II

      Jan 27, 2022

      Many times in its history the crown has been best served by those incumbents who were not supposed to inherit – the current Queen of the United Kingdom foremost among them. In February 2022, she will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee – a feat achieved b

      11 min read

    • Article

      The House Of FAA: Scotland’s Lost Gypsy Royal Dynasty*

      Feb 11, 2023

      Yetholm and the borderlands In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the itinerant and outlawed Scots Gypsy community established itself in the small villages of Kirk and Town Yetholm, nestled in the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish side of the border

      9 min read

    • Article

      The Family That Shaped Camilla

      Mar 22, 2023

      The Family That Shaped Camilla
      8 min read

    • Article

      Apocalypse, No?

      Apr 16, 2020

      “Wheresoever men tilled, the earth bare no corn, for the land was all ruined by such deeds; and they said openly that Christ and his saints were asleep. Such and more than we can say we endured 19 winters for our sins.” The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle pain

      9 min read

    • Article

      Great British Rivalries

      Jul 9, 2021

      Great British Rivalries
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Family That Shaped Camilla

      Mar 22, 2023

      The Family That Shaped Camilla
      8 min read

    • Article

      Blue Bloods

      Apr 13, 2023

      Blue Bloods
      7 min read

    • Article

      Sex, Lies And Lucky Escapes

      Apr 13, 2023

      Sex, Lies And Lucky Escapes
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Making Of The Virgin Queen

      Feb 17, 2022

      The Making Of The Virgin Queen
      3 min read

    • Article

      Prince Philip Had A Walk-on Part In The Royal Drama, But He Played It To Perfection | Simon Jenkins

      Apr 9, 2021

      It is not disparaging of Prince Philip, who has died aged 99, to say he was always a walk-on part in the pantomime of monarchy. It was a part in which he was a star. Plucked from the ranks of lesser European royalty as the “suitable” husband for a qu

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Line Of Duty

      Apr 13, 2023

      The Line Of Duty
      7 min read

    • Article

      Best Of Bing E TV

      Mar 29, 2020

      Starring Steve Buscemi and featuring a jazzy soundtrack, this gritty Prohibition-era drama follows a politician who meddles in local affairs, bootlegging and other criminal activities. Julia Roberts stars in this psychological thriller about a woma

      5 min read

    • Article

      Curse Of The Spare

      Jan 20, 2023

      PRINCESS Diana once said, “Royal firstborns may get all the glory, but secondborns enjoy more freedom. “When Harry is a lot older, he’ll realise how lucky he is not to have been the eldest.” But oh, how hollow those words ring now. Harry has expresse

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Making Of A Queen

      Dec 10, 2021

      The Making Of A Queen
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Life Of Duty And Service

      Sep 16, 2022

      A Life Of Duty And Service
      27 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The King's Assassin

    4/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words