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So some of you may be aware that James VI and I, is generally believed to have been gay or bi. For the unfamiliar he was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, the successor of Elizabeth I and the father of Charles I. Throughout his life he had a number of what are called "favourites". This is very much an Early Modern political idea, although it has its roots in earlier Medieval examples. Favourites were personal connections of monarchs who maintained their position chiefly or solely by relationship status, as opposed to those who were primarily bureaucratic advisors that weren't necessarily intimate or trusted. The main favourites worth mentioning in the context of James' personal story and especially the context of sexuality are Esme Steward, 1st Duke of Lennox, George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly, Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

It's important to note the homosocial (largely same-gender friendship) context, the degree of sociality and intimacy that was expected therein, the different standards of privacy, and the lack of a specific idea of homosexuality at the time. James could have a large circle of male intimates he interacted with in his private rooms, including in very familiar ways, and give PDA and not necessarily register as unusual. The three things that tipped people off at the time that James might in some way fall under the vague category of "sodomy" was his generally low interest in women, the particular eagerness and frequency of some of his intimate behaviour, and the fact he behaved in a less gender-typed way.

James' relationship with his wife Anna/Anne was relatively functional and perhaps even happy at times but there was certainly tension and a degree of distance that built up. And the only other woman he is even speculated to have shown interest in, that might show he was interested in women in a genuine physical way, is one speculated mistress with little evidence or consensus that confirms the theory.

Furthermore, James' gestures clearly went beyond the standard degree of PDA among male intimates, because contemporary observers found them worthy of note and often commented on implied something about the unusual nature of his attachment. In particular, the last of the generally recognised favourites, Buckingham, had a hidden back-passage between his and James' private bedrooms, and also made suggestive comments in at least one letter about how they shared a bed in a sexual/romantic tone. Similarly, when James' relationship with the previous favourite Robert Carr began to break down, James' most repeated grievance in his complaints against Carr's changed behaviour was "your long creeping back and withdrawing yourself from lying in my chamber, notwithstanding my many hundred times earnest soliciting you to the contrary".

Lastly, it is worth considering not just things that give us reason to suspect it, but what made contemporaries speculate on it. While this logic is not good, what most helped raise contemporaries' suspicions is not their conception of homosexual behaviour, which was ill-understood at the time with contradictory standards, but that he was the sort of person they imagined doing such things. People were more willing to accept homosexual behaviour if it was between younger unmarried men of which one was older and higher status. Both should then go on to live monogamous heterosexual lives. However, that model was no guarantee people would not judge, as homosexual behaviour was never truly proper in the fullest sense even when tolerated. Furthermore, James did marry and continued to have such relationships, indeed, the two most prominent examples of Carr and Buckingham that present the possibility of actual sex were after his marriage. Furthermore, there was the rumour he was actually sexual passive, even receiving anal sex; which was the worst most un-respectable form especially given he was the social superior and elder. Because James was generally anti-war, disliked fighting, was generous, lenient and favoured compromise, ties between his less dominant personal elements and the rumours about his sexuality were formed. To use Diarmaid MacCulloch's words "a real man would go out there and bash the Catholics". This ties into James having physical disabilities of some kind, which also hampered his ability to fulfil the ideal image of a king.

My recommended readings on this case are “King James VI and I and the History of Homosexuality” by Michael B. Young (2000) and “King James and Letters of Homoerotic Desire” by David M. Bergeron (1999), as well as the work of Jenny Wormald if you are interested in James on the more political level, e.g. “James VI and I: Two Kings or One?” (1983)

Next I might use this case as a staging ground for more general discussion of the issue for those who are still interested.