George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham

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George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham KG (born January 30, 1628 in London , † April 17, 1687 in Kirkbymoorside , Yorkshire ) was an English diplomat and statesman from the mid-17th century. This came from the English family branch of the originally French De Villiers . He was a favorite, chief minister, and the most influential man in England under the reign of King Charles II.

Life

Due to the close friendship between Charles I and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham , both sons of the Duke of Buckingham, George and Francis Villiers, were brought up in the closest family circle of the English king. Villiers studied at Cambridge and during the English Civil War proved to be a staunch royalist and close friend of Charles II, with whom he grew up.

After the victory of Cromwell's troops in 1648, he fled to the continent in Flanders. In exile he worked as a Privy Councilor for Charles II and interfered in negotiations with the Oliver Cromwell government . Because of these entanglements, his friendship with the English heir to the throne cooled noticeably. When Charles II invaded Scotland, George assisted him in the 1650 Battle of Worcester .

He followed the English royal family again into exile in Flanders and returned to England in 1657 to marry Mary Fairfax, daughter and sole heiress of Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron . In this way Villiers hoped to get back his vast possessions, which had been confiscated by the Cromwell government in 1651 and given to Lord Fairfax. Oliver Cromwell had Villiers arrested and incarcerated in the Tower of London . Only after Cromwell's death in the autumn of 1659 did Villiers regain freedom. On May 29, 1660 he made a solemn entry into London in the entourage of Charles II.

As a result of the restoration and enthronement of Charles II, Villiers received lucrative offices and titles such as Master of the Horse in addition to his lands . This and his longstanding association with the king made him one of the richest and most influential men of his time.

He continuously endeavored to influence the politics of the country and took an active part in the overthrow of the Lord Chancellor Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon . He played an important role in the group of five advisors that then formed.

This inner circle of royal advisors called itself the CABAL, formed from the first letters of its members:

C lifford (Sir Thomas)
A shley (Earl of Shaftesbury)
B uckingham (George Villiers, Duke of)
A rlington (Henry Bennet, Earl of)
L auderdale (John Maitland, Earl of).

There was seldom unanimity within this group. The rivalry between Villiers and Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington , led to public clashes in the council.

In 1674, both upper and lower houses attacked Villiers. He was accused of misappropriating public funds, "papism" and secret negotiations with France, and condemned his affair with the Countess of Shrewsbury, whose husband he fatally wounded in a duel in 1668. Due to a petition from the House of Commons, he was removed from office by Charles II and resigned from the royal advisory group.

After the death of Charles II, he joined the opponents of Jacob II . He was heavily involved in the anti-Catholic opposition after advocating religious tolerance in earlier times. Although a declared opponent of Jacob II, he still did not vote for his exclusion from the British line of succession.

In poor health and heavily in debt, Villiers withdrew to his estate at Helmsley in Yorkshire in 1685. George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, died of complications from a cold that he caught while taking part in a fox hunt in April 1687 and lingering too long on the cold ground. On June 7, 1687, he was solemnly buried in Westminster Abbey .

personality

Villiers was known as a promoter of science and literature. Contemporaries described him as very educated and receptive to witty conversations. In addition, he dealt with chemical experiments and wrote poems, religious treatises and plays. He is still of particular relevance today as the author of the satire The Rehearsal . His favorite pursuits were running and hunting.

Although he was able to inspire science and the arts, Buckingham did not achieve sustained interest or great success in any discipline. This is attributed to his character. His handsome appearance, according to the ideas of his time, paired with witty wit and a disreputable conception of morality made him a very interesting bon vivant who knew how to attract attention.

Biographers describe Villiers as a man of contradicting personality traits. The dramaturge John Dryden sketched a character created after him as follows:

"A man so various that he seemed to be
Not one, but all mankind's epitome;
Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong,
What everything by starts and nothing long;
But, in the course of one revolving moon
What chymist, fiddler, statesman and buffoon ..
. .Beggar'd by fools, whom still he found too late,
He had his jest, but they had his estate. "

(from John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel)

family

parents

siblings

  • Lady Mary Villiers (1622–1685)
  • Charles Villiers (1625-1626 / 27)
  • Lord Francis Villiers (1629-1648)

wife

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Villiers, George, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Villiers, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH January 30, 1628
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH April 17, 1687
Place of death Kirkby Moorside , Yorkshire