King James I of England (VI of Scotland) Research Paper

King James I of England (VI of Scotland) - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to explain why King James sought to the rigorous witch hunts particularly throughout Scotland and also why he did not rally the same in England. The paper starts with a brief introduction about King James’s road to monarchy, followed by the reasons behind his interest in demonology and witchcraft. This paper also explains some of the torture tactics that were used by the King and his company in order to persecute the witches and how the witch hunts initially began. Some of the content of the King’s book on the subject is also covered in the research paper in order to prove certain points from history and the King’s obsession with the idea and persecution of witches. Introduction King James I of England and VI of Scotland had had a rough past before he was crowned as the King of England in 1603, following the demise of Queen Elizabeth. Following the death of his mother, Queen Mary, at the age of thirteen months he was crowned as the King of Scotla nd. It is said that King James was amongst the most learned Kings in history, he knew a vast variety of languages due to which he did not need translators in order to perform trade deals. The fact that he ruled England and Scotland both comes as a surprise to many, since it is obvious that the Scott and the English have always remained at odds. Yet a Scott ruled England for a considerable period of time and was quite loved by the English, therefore it is said that King James united the English and Scott and was responsible for reducing the animosity that existed between the two (Mabry , 30-31). King James’s Interest in Demonology Demonology has been defined as the study of demons or of demonic belief (Merriam-Webster). Demonology was a topic that had gained immense popularity by the 16th century. Therefore at the time when King James started his scholarly career in the study of demonology, a lot of literature regarding the topic already existed to provide assistance. As a sub ject, demonology was restricted to the elite while the poor merely stuck to their beliefs regarding the devil and its worshippers. King James’s interest in Demonology is said to have its roots in his visit to Denmark, when he was going to see his future wife. On his visit, he met with the famous Danish demonologist Niels Hemmingsen, in 1589-1590. The idea of demonology was only remotely known in Scotland till it was taken interest in by King James; rather many of the scholars say that King James was the one who introduced the idea of Demonology in Scotland (Ryynanen , 1-39). King James was the only monarch in history to have studied and written a book on the subject of demonology. The title of the book was Daemonologie. Many scholars see the political inclinations of the book and argue that the third part of the book, with descriptions of the demons seems somewhat different than the first two parts and is thought to have been influenced by the political turmoil he had to face during the 1590s. On his visit to Denmark, King James was stuck in a terrible storm and that is what triggered his belief in the idea of witchcraft and demonology. The Witch Hunts While on his way to Denmark, the King’s ship was stuck in a dangerous storm, which was later confessed to have been a witch plot to take the life of King James. It was this confession in the 1590 that led to the rigorous witch hunt throughout Scotland in 1590 (Normand and Roberts). Amongst the very first instances of the persecutions during the witch hunt was that of Geillis Duncane, the maidservant of David Seaton - a deputy bailiff. Duncane was skilled in medicinal treatment through herbs. This skill led to her curing many of the people who came to her with various ailments. This