author
George Mackenzie
1636–1691
A brilliant and deeply controversial figure in 17th-century Scotland, this lawyer and writer helped shape Scottish legal thought while earning a fearsome reputation in politics. He is remembered both for founding the Advocates Library and for the harsh prosecutions that led many to call him "Bloody Mackenzie."
1 Audiobook
Prefaces to Four Seventeenth-Century Romances Roger Boyle, Lord Broghill, preface to Parthenissa (1655) Sir George Mackenzie, "Apologie for romances," prefixed to Aretina, the serious romance (1660) Nathaniel Ingelo, preface to Bentivolio and Urania (1660) Robert Boyle, preface to Theodora and Didymus (1687)
by Earl of Orrery Roger Boyle, Nathaniel Ingelo, George Mackenzie
About the author
Born in Dundee in 1636, George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh studied at King’s College, Aberdeen, at St Andrews, and later in France before building a major career in law. He became one of Scotland’s leading advocates, served as Lord Advocate, and also wrote widely on law, politics, and literature.
Mackenzie was admired by some contemporaries for his learning and versatility, but his name has long been shadowed by his role in prosecuting Covenanters during a period of severe religious conflict. That part of his career gave rise to the lasting nickname "Bloody Mackenzie," which still shapes how he is remembered.
Alongside his political and legal work, he played an important part in Scotland’s intellectual life. He is especially noted as the founder of the Advocates Library in Edinburgh, and his legal writings helped secure his place as an important figure in Scottish legal history, even as his legacy remains sharply disputed.