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Mar 17, 2015 · The wholesale persecution of witches started in Scotland in 1590 when James VI was king – the future James I of England. Witchcraft had been a criminal offence in Scotland prior to 1590 but action against suspected witches was limited.
- Julian Goodare
- The king’s book. Scottish Parliament had criminalized witchcraft in 1563, just before James’s birth. The act made being a witch a capital offense. Nearly three decades passed before the first major witchcraft panic arose in 1590, when King James came to believe that he and his Danish bride, Anne, had been personally targeted by witches who conjured dangerous storms to try to kill the royals during their voyages across the North Sea.
- From royal to local. Even though King James’s attentions had shifted, ideas about witchcraft had permeated Scottish society. The notion of witches as a demonic conspiracy descended through the lower levels of local government, making the witch hunts of the 17th century local as well as national affairs.
- The accused. The main stereotype of an accused witch was an elderly, quarrelsome female. Often the initial suspects in a panic would be individuals whose neighbors complained of their harmful magic.
- Confessions through torture. Witch-hunters unwittingly created evidence through torture. Panics were created and fueled by torturing suspects and then asking them to name their accomplices.
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625.
Feb 16, 2021 · NEARLY three years ago I wrote about witchcraft in Scotland and how King James VI almost singlehandedly made Scotland top of the European league for the number of witches executed per head of population.
- Hamish Macpherson
The widespread consensus is that King James wrote Daemonologie in response to sceptical publications such as Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft. [2] Daemonologie included a study of demonology and the methods demons used to bother troubled men.
Feb 29, 2024 · How did James VI of Scotland come to rule as King James I of England? Who were his personal favourites? And what was his role in the witch hunts at the turn of the 17th century? Historian and author Tracy Borman presents a comprehensive guide…
Oct 16, 2023 · In 1590-1592, over seventy individuals in Scotland were accused of practising witchcraft and faced legal trials. James took a vested interest in the trials and played an active role in directing them. He was present throughout much of the trials and even witnessed individuals being tortured for hours until they gave a confession.
