The Unicorn Rampant

In 1617 James VI and I returns to Scotland after fourteen years of absentee rule, bringing with him an expensive court, old grievances and new demands upon a kingdom he increasingly governs from London. For John Stewart of Methven, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Lennox, the royal visit is personally disastrous. A rash act of favour from the unpredictable king leaves John knighted and pressed into service at a court for which he has neither appetite nor preparation.

Commanded to accompany James back to England, John enters a world of patronage, religious suspicion and concealed political bargaining. Scottish petitioners compete for access, English courtiers resent newcomers, and every favour carries an obligation that may prove dangerous. John’s connection to Ludovic Stewart gives him standing but also makes him useful to men with ambitions of their own. Through his reluctant courtier, Tranter examines the discontent created by the Union of the Crowns and the greed surrounding royal government, as an honour that seemed absurd in Scotland becomes a trap in London.