I'm John Batsch, with Jonathan Healy, an associate professor of social history at

Oxford University.

His new book is comprehensively an explanation of where America comes from,

my reading, because we're about to witness through all these Regents and their parliaments

the arguments that the founders will use to stand up to a king in the late 18th

century. Standing to a king in the early 17th century was that much more difficult.

James the first is mostly a successful leader and King.

He suffers from arthritis.

He also has doubts about his ability to manage his household. We now need to introduce Charles, his son, the heir apparent, and a man named Buckingham, his name is George Fillers.

There are rumors about the King and Buckingham

having a relationship, but this is the kind of rumors

that circulate around courts.

So I want to go to an incident that's much more

revelatory of the future for me. In 1622 I believe my notes are in exact here.

In 1622, the king is anticipating trouble on the continent and he needs help.

He needs some way to hold it off. And suddenly Charles, the heir apparent and Buckingham, the Duke

of Buckingham, are charging off to Madrid to meet with the King of Spain.

Jonathan, when I read this, I had to read it twice because it came out of nowhere.

What were they thinking?

What was their mission? It is one of those kind of really sort of bizarre

moments in in 17th century history and the immediate context is that in in 1618, 18, there is a rebellion in Bohemia of all places.

And what this does is it leads to Frederick, Elector Frederick of the Palatine, sorry, the

...