James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was a prominent
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
nobleman. He was known for his marriage to
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
, as her third and final husband. He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband,
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a charge of which he was acquitted. His marriage to Mary was controversial and divided the country; when he fled the growing rebellion to Norway, he was arrested and lived the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark.
Early life
He was the son of
Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell Patrick may refer to:
*Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name
*Patrick (surname), list of people with this name
People
*Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint
*Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...
, and Agnes Sinclair (d. 1572), daughter of Henry Sinclair, 3rd Lord Sinclair, and was styled ''The Master of Bothwell'' from birth. He succeeded his father as
Earl of Bothwell
Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...
and Lord Hailes in 1556.
Marriages
As
Lord High Admiral of Scotland, Lord Bothwell visited Copenhagen around 1559. He fell in love with Anna Tronds, known in English as
Anna Throndsen
Anna Tronds (c. 1540–1607), known in English as Anna Throndsen and posthumously as Anna Rustung, was a Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian noblewoman. In English and Scots history, Anna Throndsen is best known for her marriage to James Hepburn, 4t ...
or Anna Rustung. She was a Norwegian noblewoman whose father,
Kristoffer Trondson
Kristoffer Throndsen (c. 1500–1565), posthumously also with the family name Rustung, was a squire, admiral, feudal overlord in Norway and Denmark, privateer captain and pirate. Kristoffer served Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson, the interregnum l ...
, a famous Norwegian admiral, was serving as Danish Royal Consul. After their engagement, or more likely marriage under Norwegian law, Anna left with Bothwell. In
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, he said he was out of money and asked Anna to sell all her possessions. She complied and visited her family in Denmark to ask for more money. Anna was unhappy and apparently given to complaining about Bothwell. His treatment of Anna played a part in his eventual downfall.
in February 1566, Bothwell married
Lady Jean Gordon, daughter of the
4th Earl of Huntly and sister of Sir John Gordon and the
5th Earl of Huntly. They were divorced on 7 May 1567, citing his
adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
with her servant Bessie Crawford. as cause. He married Mary, Queen of Scots, eight days later.
Meeting Queen Mary in France
Lord Bothwell appears to have met
Queen Mary when he visited the French Court in the autumn of 1560, after he left Anna Rustung in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
. He was kindly received by the Queen and her husband,
King Francis II, and, as he himself put it: "The Queen recompensed me more liberally and honourably than I had deserved" — receiving 600 Crowns and the post and salary of gentleman of the French King's Chamber. He visited France again in the spring of 1561, and by 5 July was back in Paris for the third time — this time accompanied by the
Bishop of Orkney
The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.
The bi ...
and the
Earl of Eglinton. By August, the widowed Queen was on her way back to Scotland in a French galley, some of the organisation having been dealt with by Bothwell in his naval capacity.
Under Mary of Guise's regency
Bothwell supported
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...
, queen dowager and regent of Scotland, against the Protestant
Lords of the Congregation
The Lords of the Congregation (), originally styling themselves "the Faithful", were a group of Protestant Scottish nobles who in the mid-16th century favoured a reformation of the Catholic church according to Protestant principles and a Scotti ...
. Bothwell and 24 followers took 6000 crowns of English money destined to be used against Guise from the
Laird of Ormiston on Halloween 1559 at an ambush near
Haddington. In retaliation the Protestant leader, the
Duke of Châtelherault, sent his son the
Earl of Arran Earl of Arran may refer to:
*Earl of Arran (Scotland), a title in the Peerage of Scotland
*Earl of Arran (Ireland), a title in the Peerage of Ireland
*, a steamship 1860–1871
See also
*
*Earl of Arran and Cambridge
Duke of Hamilton is a t ...
and the Master of Maxwell to seize Bothwell's home
Crichton Castle and force the Earl, who was at
Borthwick
Borthwick is a hamlet, parish and stream in Midlothian, Scotland. The parish includes the 15th century Borthwick Castle, which is to the east of the village and the villages of Gorebridge and North Middleton.''Gazetteer of Scotland'', publ. by ...
, to join them. Bothwell remained true to the Regent, though it was said in January he was "weary of his part". The English agent
Thomas Randolph also hinted at this time of a scandal involving his sister
Jean Hepburn
Jean Hepburn, Lady Darnley, Mistress of Caithness, Lady Morham (died 1599) was a Scottish noblewoman and a member of the Border clan of Hepburn. Her brother was James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Jean's ...
.
At Queen Mary's court
After
Protestant Lords gained power following Mary of Guise's death and the return to Scotland of Mary, Queen of Scots, Bothwell appears to have been not much more than a troublesome noble at court. His open quarrel with the
Earl of Arran Earl of Arran may refer to:
*Earl of Arran (Scotland), a title in the Peerage of Scotland
*Earl of Arran (Ireland), a title in the Peerage of Ireland
*, a steamship 1860–1871
See also
*
*Earl of Arran and Cambridge
Duke of Hamilton is a t ...
and the Hamiltons, who accused him of intriguing against the Crown, caused some degree of anguish to the Queen, and although the Earl of Arran was eventually declared mad, Bothwell was nevertheless imprisoned in
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
without trial in 1562. Later that year, while the Queen was in the
Highlands, he escaped and went to
Hermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric castles in ...
.
The Queen and Bothwell were by now very close. When Bothwell married
Lady Jean Gordon, daughter of
The 4th Earl of Huntly, in February 1566, the Queen attended the wedding (the marriage lasted just over a year). In the following summer, upon hearing that
he had been seriously wounded and was likely to die, she rode all the way through the hills and forests of the Borders to be with him at
Hermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric castles in ...
only a few weeks after giving birth to her son. However, historian
Lady Antonia Fraser
Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (' Pakenham; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction. She is the widow of the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Harold Pinter (1930–2008), and pri ...
asserts that Queen Mary was already on her way to visit Bothwell on matters of state before she heard about his illness, and that therefore this visit is not evidence they were already lovers at the time of his accident. Author
Alison Weir agrees, and in fact the records show that Mary waited a full six days after learning of his injuries before going to visit Bothwell. The story of her mad flight to his side was put about later by her enemies to discredit her.
Darnley's murder
In February 1567, Bothwell was one of those accused of having murdered the Queen's consort,
Lord Darnley. Darnley's father, the
Earl of Lennox, and other relatives agitated for vengeance and the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
began proceedings against Bothwell on 12 April 1567.
Sir William Drury
Sir William Drury (2 October 152713 October 1579) was an English statesman and soldier.
Family
William Drury, born at Hawstead in Suffolk on 2 October 1527, was the third son of Sir Robert Drury (c. 1503–1577) of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshi ...
reported to
Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State to
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
, that the Queen was in continuous ill-health "for the most part either
melancholy or sickly". On the appointed day Bothwell rode magnificently down the
Canongate
The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...
, with the
Earl of Morton
The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton. ...
and
William Maitland of Lethington
William Maitland of Lethington (15259 June 1573) was a Scottish politician and reformer, and the eldest son of poet Richard Maitland.
Life
He was educated at the University of St Andrews.
William was the renowned "Secretary Lethington" to ...
flanking him, and his Hepburns trotting behind. The trial lasted from noon till seven in the evening. Bothwell was acquitted and it was widely rumoured that he would marry Mary.
Abduction of and marriage to Queen Mary
The next Wednesday, the Queen rode to the
Estates of Parliament, with Lord Bothwell carrying the
Sceptre, where the proceedings of Bothwell's trial were officially declared to be just according to the law of the land. On Saturday 19 April 1567, eight bishops, nine earls, and seven Lords of Parliament put their signatures to what became known as the
Ainslie Tavern Bond
The Ainslie Tavern Bond (also known as the "Ainslie Band", or the "Ainslie Tavern Band") was a document signed on about 20 April 1567 by a number of Scottish bishops and nobles. The bond approved the James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, Earl of ...
, a manifesto declaring that Mary should marry a native-born subject, and handed it to Bothwell.
On 24 April, while Mary was on the road from
Linlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although mai ...
to Edinburgh, Bothwell suddenly appeared with 800 men. He assured her that danger awaited her in Edinburgh, and told her that he proposed to take her to his castle at
Dunbar
Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...
, out of harm's way. She agreed to accompany him and arrived at Dunbar at midnight. There, Mary was taken prisoner by Bothwell and allegedly raped by him to secure marriage to her and the crown (though whether she was his accomplice or his unwilling victim remains a controversial issue). On 12 May the Queen created him
Duke of Orkney and
Marquess of Fife
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
, and on 15 May they were married in the Great Hall at
Holyrood, according to Protestant rites officiated by Adam Bothwell,
Bishop of Orkney
The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.
The bi ...
. Mary gave her new husband a fur lined night-gown.
The marriage divided the country into two camps, and on 16 June, the Lords opposed to Mary and the Duke of Orkney (as Bothwell had newly become) signed a Bond denouncing them. A showdown between the two opposing sides followed at
Carberry Hill
The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothwel ...
on 15 June, from which Bothwell fled, after one final embrace, never to be seen again by Mary. In December that year, Bothwell's titles and estates were forfeited by Act of Parliament.
Escape to Scandinavia and imprisonment
After fleeing the confrontation at Carberry Hill, Bothwell went to
Huntly Castle and
Spynie Palace. He took ship from
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
to
Shetland
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
. He was pursued by
William Kirkcaldy of Grange and
William Murray of Tullibardine, who sailed into
Bressay Sound near
Lerwick
Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010.
Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...
. Four of Bothwell's ships in the Sound set sail north to
Unst, where Bothwell was negotiating with German captains to hire more ships. Kirkcaldy's flagship, the ''
Lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
'', chased one of Bothwell's ships, and both ships were damaged on a submerged rock. Bothwell sent his treasure ship to
Scalloway
Scalloway ( non, Skálavágr, "bay with the large house(s)") is the largest settlement on the west coast of the Mainland, the largest island of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. The village had a population of roughly 900, at the 2011 census. No ...
, and fought a three-hour-long sea battle off the
Port of Unst, where the mast of one of Bothwell's ships was shot away. Subsequently, a storm forced him to sail towards Norway.
Bothwell may have hoped to reach Denmark and raise an army with the support of
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1559 until his death.
A member of the House of Oldenburg, Frederick began his personal rule of Denmark-Norway at the age of ...
to put Mary back on the throne. He was caught off the coast of Norway (then in a union with Denmark) at Høyevarde lighthouse in Karmsundet without proper papers, and was escorted to the port of
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
. This was the native home of
Anna Throndsen
Anna Tronds (c. 1540–1607), known in English as Anna Throndsen and posthumously as Anna Rustung, was a Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian noblewoman. In English and Scots history, Anna Throndsen is best known for her marriage to James Hepburn, 4t ...
. Anna raised a complaint against Bothwell, which was enforced by her powerful family; her cousin Erik Rosenkrantz, a high-level official in Norway, remanded Bothwell to the
Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus fortress ( no, Bergenhus festning) is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway.
History
The fortress contains ...
while Anna sued him for abandonment and return of her dowry. Anna may have had a soft spot for Bothwell, as he persuaded her to take custody of his ship, as compensation. Bothwell would have been released, but King Frederick heard that the Scottish government was seeking Bothwell for the murder of Darnley, and decided to take him into custody in Denmark.
[. Mainly fifth part, Danish:
In English - approximately
]
The Earl was sent to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, where the Danish monarch, Frederik II, deliberated on his fate. The Earl was sent across
Øresund
Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width v ...
to the fortress and prison
Malmøhus Castle. but as news from both England and Scotland arrived, the King eventually understood that Mary never again would become Queen of the Scots. Without Mary, the King considered him insignificant.
Death
He was imprisoned at
Dragsholm Castle
Dragsholm Castle ( da, Dragsholm Slot) is a historic building in Zealand, Denmark.
For about 800 years there has been a building on the islet by the “drag”. From the original palace over the medieval castle to the current baroque style, Dragsh ...
, west of Copenhagen. He was held in what were said to be appalling conditions. He died in April 1578.
He was buried in a vault at Fårevejle church near the castle.
A pillar to which he was chained for the last ten years of his life can still be seen, with a circular groove in the floor around the pillar.
In 1858 the body was exhumed and declared to be that of Bothwell. It was in a dried condition and was thereafter referred to as "Bothwell's mummy". His extended family tried to get his body sent back to Scotland, but their request has not been granted.
[ — Danish site about burial locations.] The identity of the body has never been conclusively proven.
A body referred to as "Bothwell's mummy" materialised in 1976 in the
Edinburgh Wax Museum
Edinburgh Wax Museum was a short-lived but important tourist attraction on the Royal Mile in the late 20th century. At its peak it was attended by 230,000 visitors per year, making it one of the main attractions in Edinburgh.
It was the only wa ...
on the
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...
, as the only non-wax exhibit. The guide book claimed it was brought to Scotland in 1858.
[Edinburgh Wax Museum Guidebook 1980]
Ancestry
See also
*
Casket letters
The Casket letters were eight letters and some sonnets said to have been written by Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Earl of Bothwell, between January and April 1567. They were produced as evidence against Queen Mary by the Scottish lords who opposed ...
* ''
Gunpowder, Treason & Plot
''Gunpowder, Treason & Plot'' is a 2004 BBC miniseries based upon the lives of Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James VI of Scotland. Written by Jimmy McGovern, the series tells the story behind the Gunpowder Plot in two parts, each centred on o ...
''
References
External links
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepburn, James, Bothwell, Earl
1530s births
1578 deaths
16th-century Scottish peers
16th-century Scottish military personnel
Lord High Admirals of Scotland
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
James Hepburn, 4th Earl
People associated with Orkney
Members of the Privy Council of Scotland
Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots
Scottish people who died in prison custody
Scottish Protestants
Prisoners who died in Danish detention
Husbands of Mary, Queen of Scots