Michael Brown is Professor of Scottish history at the University of St Andrews. His main research interests centre on the political society of Scotland c.1250 - c.1500 and on the relationships between the various communities of the British Isles during the same period. He has published studies of the practice and ideology of royal and aristocratic lordship in Scotland.

A fascinating biography of James I, King of Scots. James I was to prove a king very different from his elderly and conservative forerunners. This major study draws on a wide range of sources, assessing James I's impact on his kingdom, and the long shadow he cast over the history of Scotland.