Scotland Q - Grade: A PDF

Preview

Summary

Full essay plan on the causes of the North Berwick witch trials...

Description

To what extent was the case of Gilly Duncan responsible for the spread of witch hunting in Scotland in the years 1590-97?

Gilly Duncan  Gilly Duncan was arrested on suspicion of witchcraft after healing many people using herbal remedies  She was tortured and the Devil’s mark was found  She confessed to witchcraft and named 70 other witches that caused the storm which prevented James returning from Denmark with his wife  Many of these 70 were from the social elite bringing all members of society into the witch trials –significance  However, her confession came after torture making it less reliable  Also, Gilly is likely to have given false information to ensure that those she accused were arrested King James  After Gilly claimed the 70 witches caused the storms in Denmark, James became directly involved in the case  James interrogated, prosecuted and ordered the torture of those accused  James allowed evidence from women and other dubious sources for the first time in the trial, increasing the chances the witches would be punished  James also created ‘Newes for Scotland’ which allowed the trial to gain public attention  This was significant as James made the witch trials personal, increasing pressure on judges to prosecute the accused  Also, James allowed torture leading to many of the accused to admit to witchcraft, increasing public belief in witchcraft and decreasing scepticism

 However, James soon realised that witch-hunts had got out of hand and attempted to reduce them in 1657. This ultimately failed and James was viewed as weak Europe  James met many leading scientists and philosophers when in Denmark, many of who believed in witchcraft  The storms which prevented James from returning home were largely blamed on witches, increasing James’ belief in witchcraft  A witch in Denmark allegedly recited words said in private by James to his new wife during the storms  This was significant as it caused James to take an active interested in Witchcraft  Also, it caused James to write Daemonologie  However, many Scottish beliefs such as the Devils Pact were not seen in Europe  Also, Denmark had strict rules as to what evidence could be used to convict a witch, and torture was not allowed

Overall, despite accusing 70 people from all social backgrounds of being witches, Gilly Duncan was not the most significant cause of the spread of witchcraft between 1590-97. Instead, King James is as he allowed dubious evidence, increasing convictions, took direct interest in cases, inspiring belief in witchcraft amongst the elite, and created Newes for Scotland to inform all in the country of the witch trials. Therefore, James was the most significant cause of the spread of witchcraft in Scotland between 1590-97....