George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( born August 28, 1592 Brooksby, Leicestershire, † August 23 1628 in Portsmouth ), a member of the English branch of the family of the De Villiers family as well as a major English diplomat and statesman, was at the beginning of the 17th century. He was favorite and chief minister under the English kings James I and Charles I.
James I became aware of Villiers because of its extraordinary beauty. Essentially because of this physical preference succeeded Villiers also to displace the previous favorite of King Robert Carr 's favor.
In political terms, Villiers got up carefully the feuds with the 1621 Parliament came together and the famous trip to Spain, which he undertook in 1623, together with the Crown Prince Karl. This journey, which was to prepare a marriage of Charles with a Spanish Infanta was foreign policy of very doubtful value and was also advised by the undiplomatic occurrence Villiers in Spain into a political fiasco. The turn to Catholic Spain was also strongly disapproved of in Puritan circles of England. For Villiers but this trip was a not to be underestimated success because they gave him the friendship of the future king.
He was raised in 1623 to the Duke of Buckingham and was perhaps more courtier as a diplomat and soldier. After the failure of the Spanish marriage plans succeeded Villiers later to convey a marriage of Charles I to the French princess Henrietta Maria.
After the accession of Charles I. Villiers was the dominant figure in British politics. This influence was not affected by the serious consequences of Villiers are responsible, foreign policy failures: wanted to raise an indictment against Villiers When the Parliament in 1625, the King dissolved it immediately. 1627 led a scheduled Villiers attempt to support the Huguenots to a shameful defeat at La Rochelle, which took the lives of 4,000 British soldiers. From 1625 to 1628 he was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
As the opposition to the Stuarts increased, he tried to inspire the people to war against the hereditary enemy Spain and commanded even the expedition against the silver fleet and Cádiz, which failed. In the midst of preparations for a new expedition to La Rochelle Buckingham was stabbed to death in 1628 by John Felton.
He is known by the representation of his person in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
Progeny
- George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
- Francis ( posthumously * 1628; like 1648)
- Mary (1622-1685),