Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell — nephew of the Bothwell who had married Mary Queen of Scots — led a violent night assault on the gates of Holyrood Palace in December 1591, attempting to seize James VI. The king had accused Bothwell of witchcraft and treasonable dealings with the English. Bothwell's men battered at the palace gates with hammers and tried to force entry while James barricaded himself inside. The household guard held the gates and Bothwell withdrew before Edinburgh citizens could muster. The brazen attack on the royal palace in the capital demonstrated how little Bothwell feared consequences.
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