King James I Had a Speech Impediment and Excessive Drooling
King James I of England (who was also James VI of Scotland) is remembered for many things—uniting the crowns, surviving the Gunpowder Plot, and commissioning the King James Bible. But few people know that he struggled with a significant speech impediment.
James had a naturally large tongue and a weak jaw, which affected the way he spoke. His speech was often hard to understand, and he drooled excessively when speaking—something that courtiers and ambassadors had to get used to during audiences with the king.
Despite these challenges, James was incredibly intelligent and well-read. He was fluent in multiple languages, deeply philosophical, and wrote extensively on theology and kingship. But his physical quirks often overshadowed his intellectual brilliance in the public eye.
This lesser-known detail about King James I reminds us that even powerful monarchs had personal struggles—and overcame them in ways that still shaped history.
