Essay On The Gowrie Conspiracy

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Lies and deception have always played a role in politics throughout human history. These are referred to as conspiracies, which are secret plans by a group to execute unlawful or harmful actions. Scottish history is not an exception. The Gowrie conspiracy exhibits rising questions and potential answers to King James’s use of the military to kill a noble family under the reasoning that he was physically threatened. However, many scholars formed theories that do not align with the King’s story. The presence of theories that are counter to the recorded history portrays a political trend suggesting fallibility of monarchy regime that has the power to abuse military repression, which undermines the legitimacy of authority.
The Gowrie conspiracy serves a critical role in questioning the legitimacy of the Divine Right. The officially recorded history follows the story that was released to the public by King James who claimed that a wealthy family physically threatened him.
According to John A. Wagner’s World History: the Modern Era, “In August 1600, attendants of James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) killed the Earl of Gowrie and his brother, allegedly to prevent the two men from carrying out a plot to kidnap or assassinate the king. The Gowrie Conspiracy is one of the most mysterious episodes in Scottish history” (Wagner). This story is merely what the King told the public of what happened after he already used the military to kill the Earl of Gowrie’s family. There was no evidence to support his claim, nor were there any witnesses. Because he was in power and the only one alive who knows what truly happened, every word that he said had to be believed. The lack of legitimacy behind monarchy is the first flaw in gove...

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...ia, Korea, Germany, and China have a history of an authoritarian power that abused the military on civilians. These episodes are looked down on with shame and left wrecks that had to be rectified over a long course of time. Such behaviors only lead to destruction.
Politically, creation of lies to cover up a harmful truth has been inevitable. The Gowrie conspiracy is merely one of many that brought forth the questions regarding the legitimacy of the government. The king’s unquestionable absolute power may have destroyed an innocent family. In order to keep a just government whose power that is derived from the people is legitimate, it is imperative to be transparent. Weak lies can never conceal the strong truth; it only brings chaos, confusion, and distrust. To take one more step closer to reach an ideal society, transparent democratic government is crucial.

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