Anne Of Denmark And Contrary Winds
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Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
(1574–1619) was the queen of Scotland from her marriage by proxy to King
James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
on 20 August 1589 and queen of England and
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from his accession on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619. When Anne intended to sail to Scotland in 1589 her ship was delayed by adverse weather. Contemporary superstition blamed the delays to her voyage and other misfortunes on "contrary winds" summoned by witchcraft. There were witchcraft trials in Denmark and
in Scotland IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...
. The King's kinsman, Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell came into suspicion. The
Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was an Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Lord Chancellor was the principal Great Officer of State, the presiding officer of the Parliament of Scotland, the K ...
John Maitland of Thirlestane, thought to be Bothwell's enemy, was lampooned in a poem ''Rob Stene's Dream'', and Anne of Denmark made Maitland her enemy. Historians continue to investigate these events. James VI wrote verses given the title "A complaint against the contrary Wyndes that hindered the Queene to com to Scotland from Denmarke". The historian Liv Helene Willumsen, who examined international correspondence and highlighted examples of the phrase "contrary winds", said that in 1589 fears over straightforward events like adverse weather at sea were blamed on supernatural causes, and the powerless and the vulnerable, to bolster personal and royal honour.


Anne of Denmark sails from Copenhagen

Anne of Denmark sailed on 5 September 1589 with Peder Munk and Henrik Knudsen Gyldenstierne, admiral of the fleet, and 18 ships. The Danish fleet included the ''Gideon'', ''Josaphad'' or ''Josafat'' their flagship, ''Samson'', ''Joshua'', ''Dragon'', ''Raphael'', ''St Michael'', ''Gabriel'', ''Little Sertoun'' (''Lille Fortuna''), ''Mouse'', ''Rose'', the ''Falcon of Birren'', the ''Blue Lion'', the ''Blue Dove'' (''Blaa Due'') and the ''White Dove'' (''Hvide Due''). When they were only a mile away from the palace of Kronborg, adverse winds prevented progress for two days.David Stevenson, ''Scotland's Last Royal Wedding'' (Edinburgh, 1997), p. 86. Anne's fleet sailed west but the wind failed them and they put in to Flekkerøy or Flekkerøya, an island on the coast of Norway, where Peder Munk was able to arrange a welcoming banquet. Contrary winds frustrated attempts to progress from Flekkerøy. The ''Gideon'' began to leak. Peder Munk told Anne that the hold was filling with water, despite the request of the two learned academics and diplomats Paul Knibbe and Niels Krag. Two ships, the ''Parrot'' and the ''Fighting Cock'' were scattered from the fleet. Peder Munk and the Danish nobles discussed their options to return to Denmark or go to Oslo with the Scottish representative, George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal. Lord Dingwall's ship arrived at
Stonehaven Stonehaven ( ) is a town on the northeast coast of Scotland, south of Aberdeen. It had a population of 11,177 at th2022 Census Stonehaven was formerly the county town of Kincardineshire, succeeding the now abandoned town of Kincardine, Aberd ...
with the news of the storm and the apprehension that the Queen was in danger on the seas. James VI wrote to the Earl Marischal, Anne's companion, (who he called "My little fat pork"), on 28 September asking for news, and worried about the "longer protracting of time" and the "contrariousness of winds". While waiting for his bride at Seton Palace, James VI may have begun a series of love poems in Scots now known as the ''Amatoria''. A manuscript copy of the eleven ''Amatoria'' sonnets in the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
gives the first poem the title, "A complaint against the contrary Wyndes that hindered the Queene to com to Scotland from Denmarke", although internal evidence suggests the poems were completed later.


James VI and the Flekkerøy resolution

King James decided to go to Norway himself after he received letters from Anne of Denmark saying she had been delayed from setting out and would not try again. The diplomats Steen Bille and Andrew Sinclair delivered the letters to King James on 10 October. Anne of Denmark had written two letters from Flekkerøy near Oslo in Norway, in the French she had learned in preparation for her marriage. She signed one letter as "Anne" and another as "Anna". The "Anna" letter includes this phrase, about ''vents contraires'';
"nous sommes desja par quatre ou cinq fois avances en la mer, mais que par vents contraires et autres inconvenients y survenus, avons maintenant nous present, et la redoubtance de plus grands dangers qui sont tresapparents a contrainct toute ceste compagnie, bien à nostre grand regret et des vostres, qui en sont extrement desplaisants, de prendre une resolution, de ne rien plus attenter pour ceste fois, ains de differer le voiage jusques à la primevere"

have already put out to sea four or five times but have always been driven back to the harbours from which we had sailed, thanks to contrary winds and other problems which arose at sea, which is the cause why, now Winter is hastening down on us, and fearing greater dangers which are clearly apparent, all this company is constrained, much to our regret, and that of your men, who are highly displeased about it, to make it our resolution not to risk any further attempt at this time, but to defer the voyage until the spring.
Anne of Denmark's mother
Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 4 October 1631) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian royal consorts, Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King ...
and her brother Christian IV sent similar letters. James VI made his decision at Craigmillar Castle. The
Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was an Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Lord Chancellor was the principal Great Officer of State, the presiding officer of the Parliament of Scotland, the K ...
, John Maitland of Thirlestane, who had previously advocated that the King marry a French Protestant bride, Catherine de Bourbon, now backed the Danish marriage. According to David Moysie, when he received the news from Flekkerøy, James VI, in perplexity, immediately moved from Craigmillar to
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
.


Accused witches of Denmark

Anne of Denmark's stay at Flekkerøy was blamed on witchcraft. According to the diplomat
James Melville of Halhill Sir James Melville (1535–1617) was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer, and father of the poet Elizabeth Melville. Life Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith, in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason ...
, who was appointed to be a Gentleman of Anne of Denmark's chamber in Scotland in 1590 and wrote a ''Memoir'', women accused of witchcraft in Denmark confessed to raising the "tempestuous wyndis" that drove the fleet to Norway. Melville heard their motive was a "kuff" or blow given by the Admiral of Denmark to the Baillie of Copenhagen, whose wife sought revenge by consulting with associates in the art of witchcraft to raise the storms.


James VI sails to Norway and Denmark

On account of the "sundrie contrarious windis" that delayed the Danish fleet, on 11 October James VI asked East coast mariners and ship masters to come to
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
. James VI sailed with six ships including the ''James'' hired from
Robert Jameson image:Robert Jameson.jpg, Robert Jameson Robert Jameson Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE (11 July 1774 – 19 April 1854) was a Scottish natural history, naturalist and mineralogist. As Regius Professor of Natural History at the Univers ...
of Ayr. Patrick Vans of Barnbarroch hired the ''Falcon of Leith'' from John Gibson. King James took as chaplains John Scrimgeour, minister of
Kinghorn Kinghorn (; ) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Known as the place where K ...
, a parish beside the sea in
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
, and David Lindsay, minister of
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
. His ship was provisioned with eight barrels of wine from the cellars of
Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...
, a pipe of
sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...
, and six gallons of
Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
. The king's sailing was delayed by a storm until the evening of 22 October. Finally, he embarked and sailed to Flekkerøy, encountering a storm on the way. He landed on 3 November and slept in the same farmhouse on the island as Anne had. Steen Bille set off to bring the new of his arrival to
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, and there was a tragic accident. When cannons were fired to salute his departure a young sailor was maimed or killed. The merchant William Hunter wrote:
"Thair was a boy off our schip that was schot with a pece of ordenance owt off the Kingis schip – at the departour of Stean Belde – be neglegence off the gwner, quho thoght thair had bene no schott in hir. This schip is send back agane with suche personis in hir as ar nocht fwnd meit to ramane heir"
(modernised) There was a boy of our ship that was shot with a piece of ordnance out off the King's ship – at the departure of Steen Bille, by negligence of the gunner, who thought there had been no shot in her. This ship is sent back again o Scotlandwith such persons in her as are not found meet to remain here.
James VI took three weeks to get to Oslo, journeying slowly in the "mikle foull wather of a stormie winter". After stopping at
Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...
, he met his queen at Oslo on 19 November, and married her at the Old Bishop's Palace in Oslo on 23 November, the residence of the Mayor, Christen Mule. He wore red and blue outfits embroidered with gold stars. In Edinburgh, the English ambassador William Asheby wrote of political agitators as enchanters raising tempests, deserving their own shipwreck. Following the wedding, the party stayed in Oslo for a while, and on 15 December the Danish nobles Steen Brahe and Steen Bille sailed for Denmark. Before they left, James VI gave them and Axel Gyldenstierne gifts of silver plate. Colonel William Stewart sailed back to Edinburgh with instructions for the royal homecoming in the spring, and news of arguments between Chancellor Maitland and the George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and his kinsman William Keith of Delny, over precedence and the Queen's dowry. After some correspondence with his mother-in-law, Sophie of Mecklenburg, the Scottish royal party travelled to
Varberg Varberg () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg th ...
and crossed from
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
to Elsinore, or
Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...
, in Denmark to join the Danish royal court. It was said that James made "gude cheir and drank stoutlie till the springtyme". Andrew Sinclair organised the building of a new ship for the King's fleet.


Voyage to Scotland

Chancellor Maitland wrote to the kirk minister of St Giles' in Edinburgh,
Robert Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully dur ...
, that "expert mariners and skilful pilots" were required for the return to Scottish waters. King James sent the royal master of work,
William Schaw William Schaw (c. 1550–1602) was Masters of Work to the Crown of Scotland, Master of Works to James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark for building castles and palaces, and is claimed to have been an important figure in the development of Free ...
to Edinburgh to make preparations for the return. He asked the
Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of Edi ...
, John Arnot, to provide Schaw with the "many good craftsmen" necessary to complete the repairs at the
Palace of Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has ...
. At Kronborg in April, aware of the usual uncertainties of weather at sea, James VI wrote "in deadest calms ye know sudden and perilous puffs and whirlwinds will arise". Anne wrote in French, in the ''
album amicorum The ''album amicorum'' ('album of friends', friendship book) was an early form of the poetry book, the autograph book and the modern friendship book. It emerged during the reformation, Reformation period, during which it was popular to collect ...
'' of Dietrich Bevernest, "''Tout gist en la main de Dieu''", All is in the hand of God. The couple attended the marriage of Elisabeth of Denmark and Henry Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg on 19 April. Additional ships, including the ''Angel of Kirkcaldy'' were hired in Scotland for the return voyage. They sailed back to Scotland on 21 April. Their fleet included the ''Marie Gallant'' of Dundee and the '' James Royall'' of Ayre. According to David Calderwood, the Scottish Justice Clerk,
Lewis Bellenden Sir Lewis Bellenden of Auchnole and Broughton (c. 1552 – 27 August 1591) was a Scottish lawyer, who succeeded his father as Lord Justice Clerk on 15 March 1577. Family background He was the eldest son of Sir John Bellenden of Auchnole & Broug ...
, had been sent to England to ask for English ships to assist the returning Scottish royal fleet. There were rumours that an English fleet of 10 ships had been seen off North Berwick, intending to intercept the Scottish royals. The English ambassador Robert Bowes was anxious to quash these rumours which threatened the amity between England and Scotland, and he stopped the
Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...
sending a fast pinnace to warn the king of this false rumour. James VI and Anne of Denmark arrived at the Shore of Leith early in the morning of 1 May 1590. They stayed first at the King's Wark before going to the
Palace of Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has ...
.


Jane Kennedy and the loss of the Forth ferry boat

Jane Kennedy and her servant Susannah Kirkcaldy were drowned on the 7 or 8 September 1589 crossing the Forth between
Burntisland Burntisland ( , ) is a former Royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. It was previously known as Wester Kinghorn or Little Kinghorn. The town has a population of 6,269 (2011). Burntisland is known ...
and
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
. The ferry boat was "midway under sail, and the tempest growing great carried the boat with such force upon a ship which was under sail as the boat sank presently." Jane Kennedy had been summoned from her home at Garvock near
Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...
by James VI to await the arrival of
Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
, who was then expected to arrive at Leith. The ferry boat sank after colliding with another vessel during the storm, and the sailors of the other boat, William Downie, Robert Linkhope (or Luikhope), and John Watson of Leith were put on trial for the deaths of sixty passengers in January 1590. The outcome of the trial is not recorded. The loss of the ferry boat in stormy weather with all but two of the passengers was subsequently blamed on
witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...
. In the following year people from
North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...
were made to confess to raising the storms. In later years the disaster came to be blamed on an error of the sailors, said to be drunk in calm weather by a writer in 1636, who added that £10,000 of goods and jewels were lost. Other records attest to the stormy weather of 1589, which destroyed cultivated rabbit warrens at the west links of
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 Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...
which supplied the royal household.


Witch trials at North Berwick and the Danish connection

During the marriage trip, James VI met the Danish theologian
Niels Hemmingsen Niels Hemmingsen (May/June 1513 – 23 May 1600), Latinized Nicolaus Hemmingius, was a Danish Lutheran theologian. He was pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Copenhagen and professor at the University of Copenhagen. The street Niels Hemmin ...
at
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
on 11 March 1590 and they had a long discussion or debate in Latin. James VI, who had owned four of his books since 1575, gave him a silver gilt cup. The English ambassador in Scotland, Robert Bowes heard they disagreed about
predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby Go ...
. There is no record that their discussion involved the topic of witchcraft, a topic that Hemmingsen had published on. In July 1590 the Scottish churchman and diplomat George Young, who had been with the King in Denmark, became involved in the case of a woman from
Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
because he could speak German. She said she brought a prophecy from magicians of the east, of a great king in north-west Europe and his noble future actions, a "prince in the north" meaning James VI. The king in the prophecy had a wound or mark on the side of his body. The woman had a letter written in Latin saying she brought news of the king's good fortune. She had tried to meet James VI at Elsinore but missed seeing him there. In Edinburgh, she had an audience with Anne of Denmark, speaking in German. James VI thought she was probably a witch, but asked Young to interview her. At first she was reluctant to speak to him, preferring to talk to a "wise man" of her own choice and see the mark on the king's body first. The English diplomat Robert Bowes heard that she had come to Scotland because of her "inordinate love" for one of the queen's servants, and so her story of a prophecy was disregarded and her "credit cracked". This probably means she was questioned by Young to see if she was a
false prophet In religion, a false prophet or pseudoprophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some peop ...
or witch, and he found her to be deranged by her love. The
North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...
witch trials in 1590 involved a number of people from
East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. They ran for two years, and implicated over seventy people. These included Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell. The "witches" were alleged to have held their covens on the Auld Kirk Green, part of the modern-day North Berwick Harbour area. The confessions were extracted by
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
in the Old Tolbooth,
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
. They mentioned weather magic used against the royal couple. One source for this story was published in a 1591 pamphlet ''
Newes from Scotland ''Newes from Scotland - declaring the damnable life and death of Dr. Fian, a notable sorcerer'' is a pamphlet printed in London in 1591, and likely written by James Carmichael, who later advised King James VI on the writing of his book '' Daem ...
'' and was subsequently published in King James's dissertation on contemporary necromancy titled ''
Daemonologie ''Daemonologie''—in full ''Dæmonologie, In Forme of a Dialogue, Divided into three Books: By the High and Mightie Prince, James &c.''—was first published in 1597 by King James VI of Scotland (later also James I of England) as a philosophi ...
'' in 1597. The North Berwick trials were one of the first major witchcraft persecutions in Scotland, and began with this sensational case involving the royal houses of Denmark-Norway and Scotland. King James VI had sailed to Norway to meet his bride Anne of Denmark, sister of
Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...
. During their return to Scotland they experienced terrible storms and had to shelter in Norway for several weeks before continuing. At this point, the interest in witch trials were revived in Denmark because of the gigantic, ongoing Trier witch trials in Germany, which were described and discussed in Denmark. In Denmark, the admiral of the Danish fleet, Peder Munk argued with the treasurer Christoffer Valkendorff about the state of the ships of the bridal fleet, and blamed the mishaps on the wife of a high official in Copenhagen whom he had insulted. The Copenhagen witch trials were held in Denmark in July 1590.Ankarloo, B., Clark, S. & Monter, E. W. ''Witchcraft and Magic in Europe''. p. 79 One of the first Danish victims was
Anna Koldings Ane Koldings (also called Anne or Anna Koldings; died 1590) was an alleged Danish Realm, Danish witch. She was a main defendant in the Copenhagen witch trials held during the summer of 1590, which were held as a parallel to the famous North Berwick ...
, who, under pressure, divulged the names of five other women; one of whom was Malin, the wife of the burgomaster of Helsingor. They all confessed that they had been guilty of sorcery in raising storms that menaced Queen Anne's voyage, and that on
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
night they had sent devils to climb up the keel of her ship. In September, two women were burnt as witches at Kronborg. James heard news from Denmark regarding this and decided to set up his own tribunal.


Agnes Sampson and John Fian

According to the ''
Newes from Scotland ''Newes from Scotland - declaring the damnable life and death of Dr. Fian, a notable sorcerer'' is a pamphlet printed in London in 1591, and likely written by James Carmichael, who later advised King James VI on the writing of his book '' Daem ...
'' and the charges laid against her, Agnes Sampson, one of the accused at North Berwick, a woman from Humbie or Nether Keith in the parish of Keith Marischal, confessed to causing the storm that drowned Jane Kennedy on 7 September 1589 when ferry boats collided during a sudden storm on the Forth. She had made a charm by sinking a dead cat, to which her companions had attached parts of a dead man, into the sea near Leith. The same charm raised the storm and weather effects that threatened the king on his return voyage from Denmark in 1590. The 13th article of the "dittay", the 53 charges made against Agnes Sampson, was that she had fore-knowledge from the devil of a storm at Michaelmas; and the 14th, that a spirit advised her in advance that James would sail to meet to Anne of Denmark; the 40th to raise a wind to delay the queen's ship. Agnes Sampson used the phrase "contrary wind", and this frequently appears in contemporary correspondence describing voyages, but she used it in a special sense. The record of her confession includes this phrase:
"The King's Majesties Ship had a contrary wind to the rest of ships, then being in his company, which thing was most strange and true, as the King's Majesty acknowledges, for when the rest of the Ships had a fair and good wind, then was the wind contrary and altogether against his Majesty"
The rest of the fleet were able to sail ahead, while the king's ship alone was becalmed or driven back. This seems to be an incident described in the chronicle by David Moysie. When James VI set sail for Norway his ship was driven back to
St Monans St Monans (, ), sometimes spelt St Monance, is a village and parish in the East Neuk of Fife and is named after the legendary Saint Monan. Situated approximately west of Anstruther, the small community, whose inhabitants used to make their liv ...
in Fife. Moysie wrote:
His Majestie with the rest should
ave is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
made sail upone Sunday at afternoon, the 19 day of October instant, at which time there come on such a deadly storm, that the ships lying all in Leith road were shaken loose, and driven all up to St Margaret's Hope, and so the journey stayed for that night. Upone the 22 day of October, about twelve hours at even, his Majesty made sail to Norway with five ships in company: his Majesty was driven back 20 or 30 miles with great storm, and rode foranent (stopped beside) St Monans.
Sailors in the Firth of Forth were used to stormy weather. The royal household books for 1529 record the loss of provisions and barrels of beer from a boat between Leith and
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, due to "a great wind from the north by Aberdour". Agnes Sampson is thought to have been a practising
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, following a faith then outlawed in Scotland as a
recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...
. There were in total 53 charges or "articles of dittay" made against her. According to the Scottish legal historian and antiquary Robert Pitcairn, writing in ''Ancient Criminal Trials'', Agnes Sampson was executed for the crime of witchcraft on 27 January 1591 at the Castlehill in Edinburgh. The English ambassador, Robert Bowes obtained a note of her confession which states that the execution took place on the following day, 28 January. This note mentions 102 charges or "points of dittay" against Agnes Sampson and that another of the accused, John Fian ''alias'' Cunningham had confessed that she was involved in raising a storm at Leith and another to prevent the sailing of Anne of Denmark to Scotland. John Fian was indicted on the charge of "raising the winds at the King's passing to Denmark" and being present an assembly "where Satan promised to raise a mist" and drive the King's ship to England. John Fian denied his own confession and was also executed. The first assembly was alleged to have taken place at North Berwick, and the second at the "Pans", meaning the harbour of Prestonpans, then called "Acheson's Haven" and now known as Morrison's Haven.


The royal voyages in state theatre

A paper written in defence of the Earl of Bothwell, accused of witchcraft and planning the death of James VI, possibly written in June 1591 by the kirk minister Robert Bruce of Kinnaird recounts the royal sea voyages:
her sailing hither was delayed by conjurations of devils and witches and by storms and tempests until the extreme affection and impatient passion of our invincible king led his unafraid courage to commit his crown and his corse (body) unto the raging winds and stormy seas like a new Jason to bring away the golden fleece despite the force of all the infernal powers and dragon devils.
The concept that James VI and Anne of Denmark had been in peril at sea caused by the "conspiracies of witches" appeared in the ''
Masque at the baptism of Prince Henry A masque was held at the baptism of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, Prince Henry on 30 August 1594 at Stirling Castle. It was written by the Scottish poet William Fowler (makar), William Fowler and Patrick Leslie, 1st Lord Lindores. Prince He ...
'' in August 1594 performed at
Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
, when their good fortune was depicted by a ship in the Great Hall of
Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
. The foresail of the ship was painted with a
compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...
and the
North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude t ...
, signifying the king's readiness to sail the oceans. James VI was styled a "New Jason" by William Fowler, poet and secretary to Anne of Denmark, who had been with the couple in Denmark. Fowler, his words echoing the letter of 1591, attributed the presentation of James VI as Jason and the ship to the king himself:
The Kings Maiestie, hauing undertaken in such a desperate time, to sayle to Norway, and like a newe Iason, to bring his Queene our gracious Lady to this Kingdome, being detained and stopped by the conspiracies of Witches, and such devillish Dragons, thought it very meet, to followe foorth this his owne invention, that as Neptunus (speaking poetically, and by such fictions, as the like Interludes and actions are accustomed to be decored withall) ioyned the King to the Queene.
The story of
Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
and the
Argonauts The Argonauts ( ; ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', named after it ...
is told in
Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
's ''
Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...
'' and the ''
Argonautica The ''Argonautica'' () is a Greek literature, Greek epic poem written by Apollonius of Rhodes, Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only entirely surviving Hellenistic civilization, Hellenistic epic (though Aetia (Callimachus), Callim ...
'' of
Apollonius of Rhodes Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Go ...
. By analogy, Anne of Denmark was
Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...
and, as Clare McManus notes, she was also the Golden Fleece and the embodiment of her dowry. The masque was written by Anne of Denmark's Scottish secretary William Fowler and first published in 1594 by Robert Waldegrave as a kind of festival book, promoting the Scottish monarchy and its rights to English throne. Fowler wrote that the ship was the king's "own invention". The symbolic ship was laden with Neptune's gift of all kinds of fish made from sugar, including herring, whiting, flounders, oysters, whelks, crabs and clams, served in Venetian glasses tinted with azure, which were distributed while
Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...
seated on a dolphin played his harp. Some Latin verses in praise of Anne were sung, followed by Psalm 128 in canon with musical accompaniment. The imitation sugar fish and serving glasses were provided by a Flemish confectioner Jacques de Bousie and the court
sommelier A ''sommelier'' ( , , ), ''chef de vin'' or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the ''s ...
, Jerome Bowie. When he was in Denmark, James VI promised Anne's brother, the young Christian IV, that he would return for his coronation in Copenhagen. When the time came in 1596, James made his excuses, saying it was not the time to travel, when Anne was pregnant and "unable to bear the tossing of a voyage and sea-sickness", or the absence of a husband, if he were to travel alone.


Allusion in Shakespeare's ''Macbeth''

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''Macbeth'' (1606) alludes to the wind when the Weird Sisters discuss tormenting a sailor by sending winds to blow him away from port. As a 19th-century historian Thomas Spalding noted, the power of the witches in the play over the weather and the mention of going to a sea in sieve seem particular to Scottish ideas of witchcraft as represented in the North Berwick witch trials.
First Witch: A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,
And munched, and munched, and munched.
'Give me,' quoth I.
' Aroint thee, witch' the rump-fed ronyon cries.
Her husband's to
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
gone, master o' the ''Tiger''.
But in a
sieve A sieve (), fine mesh strainer, or sift is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet m ...
, I'll thither sail,
And, like a rat without a tail,
I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do.
Second Witch: I'll give thee a
wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
.
First Witch: Thou'rt kind.
Third Witch: And I another.
First Witch: I myself have all the other,
And the very ports they blow —
All the quarters that they know
I' the shipman's card.
I will drain him dry as hay.
Sleep shall neither night nor day
Hang upon his penthouse lid.
He shall live a man forbid.
Weary seven nights, nine times nine,
Shall he dwindle, peak and pine.
Though his
bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
cannot be lost,
Yet it shall be tempest-tossed.
Look what I have.
Second Witch: Show me, show me.
First Witch: Here I have a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
's thumb,
Wrecked as homeward he did come.


Apology from Scottish Government

In March 2022
Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...
, the
First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...
, apologized for the persecution of alleged witches during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The
Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
had not apologized previously. In her speech to the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
, Nicola Sturgeon explained:
Firstly, acknowledging injustice, no matter how historic is important. This parliament has issued, rightly so, formal apologies and pardons for the more recent historic injustices suffered by gay men and by miners.
Second, for some, this is not yet historic. There are parts of our world where even today, women and girls face persecution and sometimes death because they have been accused of witchcraft.
And thirdly, fundamentally, while here in Scotland the Witchcraft Act may have been consigned to history a long time ago, the deep misogyny that motivated it has not. We live with that still. Today it expresses itself not in claims of witchcraft, but in everyday harassment, online rape threats and sexual violence.


References


External links


Liv Helene Willumsen, Witchcraft Against Royal Danish Ships in 1589 and the Transnational Transfer of Ideas, ''IRSS'', 45 (2020), pp. 54–99
* Rigsarkivet
Copies of Anne of Denmark's letters, 3 October 1589, with slight differences, VA XI, Tyske Kancelli II, s. 285 TKUA, Speciel del, Skotland 5

'Agnes Sampson', Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939), 'The Dinner Party' (Heritage Floor; detail), 1974–79, Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation


* [https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/the-lives-and-deaths-of-east-lothian-women-accused-of-being-witches-3601002 Edinburgh Evening News, 'Agnes Sampson: Who was the famous East Lothian midwife, and how was she accused, and then murdered, for witchcraft in Scotland?', Rachel Mackie, 8 March 2022]
Michael Bath, 'Rare Shewes, the Stirling Baptism of Prince Henry' in ''Journal of the Northern Renaissance'', no. 4, 2012

Witches for Scotland: Justice for people accused and convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1563–1736

Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland

Anne of Denmark: Costume, Colours, and Identities in Scotland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anne of Denmark and contrary winds Anne of Denmark Witchcraft in Scotland Witch trials in Scotland European windstorms 1589 in Europe