The Stuart courts of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries have been the subject of much scholarship in the last twenty years, though book-length biographies of individual courtiers are rare. David M. Bergeron's new biography of Ludovic Stewart, Duke of Lennox, thus offers a fresh perspective on the Scottish-English courts of James VI/I, in addition to being the first “sustained study of Lennox's life” (2). Bergeron's knowledge of and passion for his subject are evident immediately. He argues that Lennox “was the most important courtier in King James VI of Scotland's court in both Scotland and England in the forty years (1583–1624) that he faithfully served the king” (1).

The book begins in media res, with nine-year-old Ludovic arriving in Scotland from his native France in 1583. Upon arrival, he received appointments to the Privy Council, the King's Bedchamber, and as Lord Chamberlain. Further influential positions followed as he matured. Chapter 2 moves south to England with the king and covers James's reign there from 1603 to the death of Henry, Prince of Wales, in 1612. Lennox transitioned easily to England, acquiring new titles and properties there while maintaining his Scottish ones. He occasionally traveled to Scotland for the king. Chapter 3 opens with the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, in 1613. It then discusses Lennox's involvement in the arts in London, his attendance at Queen Anne's funeral in 1619, and his interactions with Robert Carr and George Villiers, the king's favorites. In chapter 4, Bergeron shifts from a chronological telling of Lennox's life to a thematic one focused on the duke's diplomatic, political, and artistic activities, including his participation in the wool trade and his dealings with the powerful mercantile community in London. Chapter 5 returns to a chronological narrative. It begins with Lennox's third marriage, to Frances Howard, and concludes with a general assessment of his life and character.

Bergeron convincingly makes the case for Lennox's importance in Scotland, where he held many high offices and the only dukedom besides the royal dukedoms of Rothesay and Albany. His argument is less convincing for England, where the king's role was complicated by institutions such as the Privy Council and Parliament, by the presence of powerful administrators such as Robert Cecil, who served as Lord Privy Seal until 1608 and as Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer until his death in 1612, and by the king's favorites, Carr and Villiers. While it is true that Lennox played a central role in official family events—the visit of King Christian IV of Denmark, James's brother-in-law, in 1606; Prince Henry's investiture as Prince of Wales in 1610 and funeral in 1612; Princess Elizabeth's wedding in 1613; Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales in 1616; entertaining foreign ambassadors; sponsoring court masques; and managing the king's household—that does not confirm his singular importance in the broader English political context. What it does suggest is that he was reliable, capable, intelligent, and loyal.

In general, Bergeron's writing is fast-paced and easy to read, though he frequently alternates between past, present, and future tenses for no apparent reason. The Stuart/Stewart family tree at the beginning of the book is helpful, and the drawings, engravings, and portraits included throughout the book are well chosen. Though a minor point, the indexing of some non-English names is incomplete. For example, Don Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, Count of Gondomar and Spanish ambassador to England, is listed as “Gondomar, Count, Don Diego” (243).

That Lennox was born in France, spent his formative years in Scotland, and then migrated to England without trouble speaks to his ability to adapt to new cultural and political contexts, as does the fact that he successfully navigated the factionalism that consumed English courtiers in the wake of Cecil's death. Bergeron's biography of Lennox reminds us of the human richness of the Stuart courts and of the talented individuals who served in them.