IL LIBRO DELLE STREGHE (DEMONOLOGIA) | 1979 | GIACONO I STUART

Daemonologie by James I of England (James VI of Scotland) is a seminal work of demonology first published in 1597. Written in the form of dialogues among pseudonymous interlocutors, it explores the nature of witches, spirits, and the relationship between magic, the devil, and legitimacy of persecuting witchcraft. The king argues for the reality and danger of witchcraft, drawing on scriptural, legal, and philosophical sources, and addresses whether witches can be punished, how to detect them, and what constitutes lawful vs. unlawful practices. The style is part intellectual treatise, part political manifesto: James wants to affirm royal authority over witchcraft law and to influence public and judicial perspectives in both England and Scotland. Its historical significance lies in how it shaped witch trials, demonological thought, and influenced later legal and cultural approaches to the supernatural in the British Isles.