King James I of England Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

King James I of England - Research Paper Example Demonology has been defined as the study of demons or of demonic belief (Merriam-Webster). Demonology was a topic that had gained immense popularity by the 16th century. Therefore at the time when King James started his scholarly career in the study of demonology, a lot of literature regarding the topic already existed to provide assistance. As a subject, demonology was restricted to the elite while the poor merely stuck to their beliefs regarding the devil and its worshippers. King James’s interest in Demonology is said to have its roots in his visit to Denmark when he was going to see his future wife. On his visit, he met with the famous Danish demonologist Niels Hemmingsen, in 1589-1590. The idea of demonology was only remotely known in Scotland till it was taken interest in by King James; rather many of the scholars say that King James was the one who introduced the idea of Demonology in Scotland (Ryynà ¤nen, 1-39). King James was the only monarch in history to have studi ed and written a book on the subject of demonology. The title of the book was Daemonologie. Many scholars see the political inclinations of the book and argue that the third part of the book, with descriptions of the demons seems somewhat different than the first two parts and is thought to have been influenced by the political turmoil he had to face during the 1590s. On his visit to Denmark, King James was stuck in a terrible storm and that is what triggered his belief in the idea of witchcraft and demonology.