John of Nottingham was a famous 14th century

magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

, said to have plotted to kill

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

and

Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (c. 1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser), by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, ...

in 1324 through witchcraft.

Background

By 1324,

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

was ruling England with his royal favourite

in an increasingly despotic manner. Although Edward had defeated his Lancastrian opponents in 1322, many of his enemies had escaped to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

from where they still conspired against Despenser and him. Already during 1324 there had been an attempt to murder the pair, although the conspiracy had been foiled.Doherty, p.80.

The conspiracy

According to the case brought by the prosecution, twenty eight citizens of

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

had become particularly discontented with the

Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of Coventry, who had been extracting considerable taxes from the city with the backing of the Despensers. In November 1323 they had approached John of Nottingham, a famous magician based in Coventry, to request his assistance in killing the King, Hugh Despenser and his father, along with the prior, using magic. John had set about doing this using necromantic ceremonies involving

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low ...

effigies of his targets. Using seven pounds of wax and two yards of cloth, John allegedly made effigies of the four main targets, the prior's unpopular caterer and his steward, along with one of Richard de Lowe, a local man on whom the magic was to be first tested.Wright, p. 17. John was said to have worked with his assistant Robert Marshall in a deserted house just outside Coventry on the magical effigies, which he ultimately tested in 1324 by driving a lead pin first into the head, and then the heart of de Lowe's effigy; de Lowe apparently died as a result. Unfortunately for John, his assistant Marshall then turned him in to the authorities, potentially as the result of a grievance against his master, before any further attacks could be made. The case against John and his sponsors came up before the

King's Bench The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions. * Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of commo ...

later in the year, in which the group were tried for the murder of de Lowe. They were found innocent by the jury.Lea, p. 458.

Consequences

Hugh Despenser became extremely concerned for his personal safety after this case. He wrote to

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...

asking for his assistance in protecting him against magical attack.Doherty, p.81. The Pope, who was not favourably inclined towards the Despensers, curtly advised him to "turn to God with his whole heart and make a good confession and such satisfaction as shall be enjoined. No other remedies are necessary beyond this general indulgence which the Pope grants him." The case added to the febrile atmosphere that led to the overthrow of Edward II and the Despensers two years later.

References

Bibliography

* Doherty, Paul. (2003) ''Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II.'' London: Robinson. * Lea, Henry Charles. (2005) ''A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, Volume 3.'' New York: Cosimo. * Wright, Thomas. (1852) ''Narratives of sorcery and magic, from the most authentic sources.'' New York: Redfield. {{Authority control Culture in Nottingham Edward II of England People from Nottingham 14th-century English people 14th-century crime Witchcraft in England Medieval occultists