James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, died - On this day in history

James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, died on 14 April 1578, a prisoner in Dragsholm Castle in Denmark. Bothwell, the third husband of Mary Queen of Scots had been prisoner at the castle since 1567, when he was caught trying to escape Scotland to raise an army following opposition to his marriage.

Although initially treated as a foreign dignitary, the conditions in which Bothwell were kept became poorer and at the notorious Dragsholm Castle, he was kept in solitary confinement until his death.

Further reading

Life James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell by Frederick Schiern

QUICK LINK: Bothwell's incarceration at Dragsholm Castle

Mary Queen of Scots' English prisons - David Templeman online talk on 5 July 2022 - details here.