James VI Loved Male Favorites

King James VI of Scotland and I of England (1566-1625) enjoyed the company of handsome young men, sometimes shared his bed with his male favorites, and often expressed passionate love for them. Yet James fiercely condemned sodomy and listed it among the treasonous crimes warranting death in his book Basilikon Doron. Most modern historians consider at least some of his relationships sexual, although others argue that bed-sharing and kissing could signal friendship in 17th-century court culture. The influence and wealth James granted his favorites became major political issues during his reign.

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