James Hepburn (1534-1578) was the 4th Earl of Bothwell and the 1st Duke of Orkney. Before meeting Mary I of Scotland, Hepburn was marriage twice to daughters of prominent fathers. Hepburn met Mary during her stay in France but did not support her Catholic reign and supported the new protestant movement in Scotland. Upon the Queen's return to Scotland, Hepburn abducted her and forced her to marriage. They remained married until his death in Denmark, which followed his attempts to raise an army to put Mary back on the throne of Scotland.
Before his death in Denmark, Hepburn was imprisoned for over 10 years in a castle near the city of Farevelje. His mummified body can be found in the church that the castle that he was held, although there ares still scholars who believe that the mummified body may not be his.
The controversy over James Hepburn's mummified body is that there has never been a biological investigation of the mummy to determine if the body is indeed Hepburn's. The belief that the mummy is his comes from local stories and beliefs.
James Hepburn was buried following his death, which is the main factor for the questions involving the true identity of the mummified form due to the religious objections to examining his body.
