This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor.

This is CBS. I on the world. I'm John Batchelor. I welcome Professor Claire Jackson, fellow at Trinity Hall in the Faculty of History at Cambridge University.

Her new book is about the beginning, beginning of our understanding of the tussle between kingship

and assembly, parliament, Congress, legislative assembly.

The Mirror of Great Britain, a life of King James the sixth of Scotland and King James

the first of England, the man who succeeded Elizabeth I.

Professor, a very good evening to you and congratulations, and it is a marvel and I apologize

as an American history reader.

This is all fresh to me because...

That's fantastic.

Thank you very much for having me.

We were told that nothing of importance in America has started before the 18th century.

Well, we're back in the 16th and 17th century, and I find resonance everywhere,

and perhaps you can help me as we talk about why that's true. But we begin with a crisis.

The date is 1605. It is called the gunpowder plot, or very much remembered by, remember, remember,

remember the 5th of November. There is a plot afoot to not only kill the king, James I, who's

just going to be 40 years old next year, but to destroy his family, as far as I can tell, to destroy the

first day of Parliament, to destroy Parliament's sitting and to wreck the leadership in all of Britain

because they'll follow it up, the plotters, with a regime change that is profound. It has to do

with religion, it has to do with tribal affiliation. It has to do with religion. It has to do with tribal affiliation.

It has to do with James I not being in England until the last several years. He was the king of

Scotland for the end of the 16th century. What do we need to know about the gunpowder plot?

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