The Stolen Crown explodes the myth of a peaceful, approved succession from Elizabeth I to James VI of Scotland. As revelatory new research shows, history was literally re-written on the orders of James VI to hide the truth: Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. And so James's rule in England began with a lie - a lie that went on to have devastating consequences. The Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence and uncertainty, conspiracy and persecution, witchcraft and gunpowder, culminating in the destruction of the monarchy in the English Civil War. With a combination of rigorous research and brilliant storytelling, Tracy Borman's revealing new book shows that truth and monarchy have always been strange bedfellows . . .