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Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

The Scottish king who wrote a treatise on demonology and obsessed over witches

James VI James I King James The Conversation Weekly United States
Suspected witches kneeling before James VI in Daemonologie, his 1597 treatise on witches. Wikimedia Commons

In the 16th century, witches and demons weren’t just for Halloween. People were terrified and preoccupied with them – even kings.

In 1590, James VI of Scotland – who was later also crowned James I of England – travelled by sea to Denmark to wed a Danish princess, Anne. On the return journey, the fleet was hit by a terrible storm and one of the ships was lost.

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