Background Information
Witchcraft
Europe was swept by a witchcraft hunting movement in the seventeenth century. As a result, many hundreds of people were burned for being witches. James believed in witchcraft and, in 1597, he published a book on the subject entitled 'Demonologie'. James attended the most famous witch trials in Scotland, which were held in North Berwick in 1590. He questioned several of the accused including Agnes Sampson who, he said, recalled things he'd said that no one but his wife could have known. James believed witches had the power to injure others by making wax images of them. People accused of witchcraft were cruelly questioned. The witch finders used thumbscrews and other instruments of torture. They jabbed long needles into the bodies of accused people in the belief that at the point where the devil had bitten his servant, no pain would be felt. In later life, James became less certain of the truth of witchcraft.
James' marriage
James married Anne, the 15-year-old blonde daughter of the King of Denmark, in 1589. The marriage took place in Norway. The four black men hired to provide entertainment by dancing in the snow all caught pneumonia and died. The royal couple travelled to Denmark and then suffered a stormy voyage home. Anne was not as well educated as James. She was very fond of dancing and other entertainments and could be quite extravagant. She proved to be a valuable patron of the arts. Anne and James had seven children - though only three survived into adulthood and one of these, Henry, died when he was eighteen. Their daughter, Elizabeth, married a German prince.
Bothwell
Francis Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, was an ambitious and violent man who moved from being James' friend to become an enemy whom James feared. In part this change was caused by Bothwell's dislike of James' chief advisers. It was said at the time that Bothwell sought the King's death by witchcraft. James did not have a proper army to protect him and was vulnerable to the sudden attacks launched by Bothwell. All James' efforts to deal with Bothwell failed. In 1591 he trapped James in a tower in Holyrood Palace only to be thwarted by the arrival of a large number of armed Edinburgh citizens. In 1592 Bothwell arrived at Falkland Palace with 300 men and a battering ram. Once again, James was rescued by loyal forces. After two further attempts on the King, Bothwell finally left Scotland for the continent in 1595.
James and violence
The King was not physically strong and was not the sort of leader who loved fighting - his upbringing had taken place amid all sorts of violent episodes. He had a great fear of being attacked and greatly disliked the sight of swords and daggers. James' fear of attack led him to wear padded clothing that might thwart the dagger of a would-be assassin. Sometimes he piled up furniture against his bedroom door to block a potential assassin's entry. James hated wars too and advised his son Charles that if ever forced to engage in battle he should wear the lightest armour so that he could easily run away.
