James Hepburn, the 4th Earl of Bothwell and the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots is best known for his involvement in the possible abduction and marriage to Queen Mary and the assassination of her second husband Lord Darnley.
4th Earl of Bothwell, was born in 1536. He was the son of Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell. In 1567, he married Lady Jane Gordon, daughter of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly. They had two children: James and Elizabeth.
In April 1578, Mary and Bothwell were at Hermitage Castle when they learned that Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, with the Earl of Moray and others, had raised an army and was marching on Edinburgh. Mary rode south to meet him, leaving her infant son in the care of the Earl of Mar.
On 19 June 1567, Darnley was murdered, and Bothwell was widely suspected of being involved. Mary married him on 15 May 1567, just three months after Darnley’s death. This led to public outrage and an uprising against the couple. Mary was forced to abdicate, and Bothwell fled to England. He was arrested and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle for rape and murder but escaped and fled to Norway.
From Norway, he tried unsuccessfully to raise an army to regain the throne for Mary. He was arrested in Shetland on 23 May 1568 and imprisoned in Dragsholm Castle. In October 1568, he was extradited to Denmark, where he was held captive.
The Early Life of James Hepburn
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James Hepburn was born to Sir Patrick Hepburn, the 3rd Earl of Bothwell and Agnes Sinclair.
After his parents’ divorce in 1543, James was sent to receive his early education under the guidance of his great-uncle Patrick Hepburn, the Bishop of Moray at Spynie Palace.
James was a charismatic man well versed in languages like Greek and Latin. He was also an ardent reader of the works of ancient and contemporary authors and had a keen interest in mathematics and strategies of war.
Sir Patrick died at 1556 and James eventually succeeded to become the 4th Earl of Bothwell as well as the Lord High Admiral of Scotland.
Anna Throndsen: First wife of James Hepburn
Hepburn met Anna in Denmark in 1559. She was the daughter of Kristoffer Throndsen, a famous Norwegian Admiral. The duo fell in love and got married by handfasting, a Norwegian ceremony of betrothal and marriage.
After marriage, Anna left with Bothwell. However, the union was not a happy one and Bothwell spent all of the dowries that he received from the marriage including Anna’s possessions.
The marriage ended eventually and was probable cause for his eventual downfall.
Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell
Lady Jean Gordon was a wealthy Scottish noblewoman and the second wife of James Hepburn.
Bothwell married Gordon on 24th February 1566 at Canongate Church. The marriage was short-lived and the couple soon divorced on May 7, 1567, on account of infidelity. James was having alleged affair with her servant Bessie Crawford.
Mary, Queen of Scots and James Hepburn
Bothwell met Mary in 1560 and was one of the prime advisors of the Queen and soon became a member of the Privy Council.
Bothwell was loyal and resourceful to the Queen and earned her confidence by working closely with her.
Mary’s relationship with her second husband Lord Darnley has strained over time.
Darnley wanted Mary to reward him the ‘Crown Matrimonial” which will make him the co-sovereign of Scotland but Mary refused which infuriated him.
Apart from that, Darnley also was jealous of David Rizzo the personal secretary of Mary and suspected that in fact, Rizzo was Mary’s lover.
On March 9, 1566, Darnley murdered Rizzo in front of his pregnant wife Mary. All the conspirators were banished except for Darnley.
Mary was deeply disturbed after the incident and she became closer to Hepburn and confided to him.
What happened to Mary Queen of Scot’s husband?
Bothwell along with Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll and George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly masterminded a plan to get rid of Darnley.
On February 10 1567, at Kirk o’ Field in Edinburgh, Scotland where Darnley was staying at his house was blown off. Darnley along with his servant was found dead near his house in an orchard.
Darnley’s family was infuriated with vengeance and demanded justice. It was believed that Queen Mary was also part of the plan with Bothwell.
A trial was carried out at Edinburgh but Bothwell was released and it was rumoured that he will now marry Mary.
Who did Mary, Queen of Scots marry after Darnley?
On 24th April Mary was visiting her son at Stirling Castle. On her way back to Edinburgh she was stopped by James and his army of men.
James assured Mary that danger awaits her at Edinburgh and she should travel with him to Dunbar Castle.
Mary obliged and as soon as she reached Dunbar she was imprisoned by Darnley. There she was physically assaulted, which later forced her to marry James.
On May 15th, 1567 Mary and Hepburn got married and he was appointed the Duke of Orkney.
Battle of Carberry Hill
By this time Bothwell had made many enemies. His alleged conspiracy in the murder of Darnley and subsequent marriage to the Queen of Scots has angered many nobles and disturbed the people of Scotland.
On 15th June 1567, an angered mob marched towards Edinburgh seeking justice for Darnley. This was the last time that Mary will ever see Hepburn.
Mary was held captive and James escaped and fled to Orkney.
Death of James Hepburn
How did James Hepburn die?
James was taken captive by Danish monarch Frederick II of Denmark and was kept captive at the Dragsholm Castle under dreadful conditions till he died on April 14, 1578.
His mummified body presently lied at the Faarevejie Church near Dragsholm, Denmark.
