Buckingham, George Villiers, 1st Duke of 1592-1628
English politician and court favourite

Born at his father's seat of Brooksby, Leicestershire, he was brought to the notice of James VI and I in 1614 and soon succeeded Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset as favourite. He was knighted, then raised to the peerage as Viscount Villiers in 1616, and also became Earl of Buckingham in 1617, and Marquis in 1618. He became, with a single exception, the wealthiest noble in England. In 1623 he failed to negotiate a Spanish match for Prince Charles (the future Charles I), but he later arranged the marriage of Charles I with Henrietta Maria of France. The abortive expedition against Cadiz exposed him to impeachment by the Commons, however, and only a dissolution rescued him. His expedition against France in 1627 failed, and while he was planning a second, he was assasinated by John Felton, a discontented subaltern.

Bibliography: Roger Lockyer, Buckingham: The Life and Political Career of George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham (1981)