Welcome to the History Extra podcast, fascinating historical conversations from the makers of BBC History Magazine.

Was Elizabeth I holding England back from establishing itself on the global stage?

Why was it James the King of Scotland who succeeded her? And how successful was his quest for peace? In her new book, The Sun Rising,

Professor Anna Whitelock explores how the accession of the new king and the arrival of the

Jacobian era tilted the nation's

gaze towards the future. James Osborne spoke to her to find out more. Anna, the book is a fascinating

exploration of how James I first kingdom becomes a global power. But before we delve into that aspect of his reign, I wanted to frame it

with some context. Why is it James the first to inherit the throne and what is the state of the

kingdom he inherits? Yes, it's of course the end of the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth, after a very long

rain, dies without air. And for a long time,

she's under pressure to name a successor. But she actually said, you know, as soon as I would

name an air, attention would immediately turn to the sun rising. So she doesn't, she doesn't name an

heir. And the most credible successor,

even though there's lots of talk about potential claimants, both at home and abroad, Philip of Spain,

is considering a Spanish claimant. And of course, there's a real sense that Catholics want

someone who's determinedly Catholics, Protest Catholics want someone who's determinedly Catholics.

Protestants want someone who's absolutely Protestant. But the most likely claimant is James I,

who ironically is the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, who Elizabeth executed. But the absolute key thing

is to have a smooth succession. Elizabeth the first was

pretty negligent. She didn't have a child. She didn't ensure a smooth succession. And so

counsellors around her were very keen to try and ensure that civil war and invasion didn't

happen on Elizabeth's death. And so they, not least Robert Cecil and the Earl

...