What happened to Mary and George Villiers? Scandalous fate of Mary & George

What happened to George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham?

It was the love affair that shaped the royal court of King James VI of Scotland and I of England but, as depicted in the series, George Villiers was successful in his quest to win over the king and become one of the most powerful men in the country.

Prompted and guided by his mother Mary, George did indeed take on some ‘training’ to become a courtier – and learnt how to dance, fence and speak French, which was to add a nice well-rounded nature to his handsome looks.

Introduced to King James in 1614, George went on to surpass Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset (played in the series by Laurie Davidson) as the king’s favourite and become the apple of James’s eye, so to speak.

Many people were supportive of George’s ascension into the king’s inner circle, especially as they hoped to reduce the influence of Carr.

With the help of allies in the king’s circle, Mary managed to get her son in front of the king as a cupbearer, and then as part of the king’s elaborate dance performances – which only made the king appreciate George more.

George was knighted in 1615 as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber, which was the most prestigious position in the royal household of all, allowing unprecedented access to the king as he dressed and ate.

It wasn’t before long that George went on to eclipse Robert as the king’s most trusted favourite, and in 1616, George was appointed the king’s Master of the Horse and was then continually bestowed with other impressive titles such as baron, viscount and earl.

He was promoted to Marquess of Buckingham in 1618 and then as Duke of Buckingham in 1623. The dukedom that George was bestowed with was unheard of for a regular member of the public at the time, as he was the only duke to not be a member of the royal family.

As George ascended to the dizzying heights of English society, so too did his mother Mary and the rest of his family – but over the years, George remained as the king’s closest confidant and advisor.

With his rise to power also came a heavy share of speculation and gossip among society over whether George was corrupt or misappropriating public funds.

Nothing was ever proven, but as George rose up the ranks of society with multiple titles and positions, he also elevated his friends and relatives in their social positions.

Becoming one of the king’s favourites definitely put him in the line of jealousy from others, but he also knew when to avoid conflict. For instance, his friendship with Lord Chancellor Francis Bacon was put on hold when Bacon was investigated by parliament over financial speculation, was convicted of corruption and forced into retirement.

Neither George or the king intervened in the entire affair, with many people at the time thinking that George had used Bacon as a sacrifice from parliament investigating himself.

Over the years, George became increasingly involved in Irish affairs and more political situations.

In 1623, he played his first major part in British politics when he accompanied Charles, the king’s son, to Madrid to arrange a marriage between Charles and the daughter of the Spanish king. While the negotiations didn’t go as planned for George’s hopes of an alliance with Spain, it only signalled how trusted George was by the royal family.

Although the relationship between George and the king has been disputed over the years, there has been evidence found of warm and vulnerable correspondence between the pair, with the king often referring to George as his “sweet child” or “wife”.

The king died in 1625, and subsequently, Charles ascended to the throne that same year, with George becoming a trusted member of Charles’s circle, the only member of James’s court to maintain his position.

He remained at the height of Charles’s favour, but George’s leadership did lead to some disaster. Growing frustrated with George’s actions, parliament attempted to impeach George with a new bill in 1626 – but in a defiant act to save George, King Charles dissolved parliament.

At the same time, England and France were drifting towards war, and in 1627, George took control of a force intended to relieve La Rochelle in France, who were under attack from the French government.

But wars cost a lot of money, and with parliament refusing to fund this expedition, George accumulated the funds with the help of Sir William Russell – who raised approximately £70,000 to pay for the soldiers, food and everything in between.

However, things went far from according to plan, and facing the prospect of annihilation of his troops, George abandoned the siege.

Parliament once again tried to intervene in 1628 and aimed to dismiss George as being Charles’s favourite – but the king remained loyal. Throughout George’s incompetent leadership, parliament tried to impeach him twice.

George was assassinated in August 1628 when attempting to organise another expedition to La Rochelle, he was stabbed to death by John Felton, an army officer who had previously worked under George’s earlier military mission and been injured – believing he had been looked over for promotion because of George. George was buried in Westminster Abbey.

What happened to Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham?

As the mastermind behind her son and the king’s relationship, Mary was advanced in society just as much as her second son George. Because of George’s standing in society and her connection to the king, Mary was made Countess of Buckingham in 1618.

George was said to have done all he could for the sake of his family’s advancement, and his other siblings were also bestowed with titles of their own.

Mary arranged the marriage between Lady Katherine Manners and George, with the talk at the time around whether or not Mary had orchestrated the marriage by arranging for Katherine to spend a night under the same roof as George. The act would’ve tarnished Katherine’s reputation – but that fact remains contested.

We do know, though, that Mary was often found at court with the king, riding horseback with him and becoming further ingratiated in the royal family. Mary’s hold over the king was so great that when James was on his deathbed, his physician John Craig disagreed with the plan of treatment that Mary had suggested. Because he refused to do as Mary said, Craig was ordered to leave court.

It was reported that upon hearing of her son’s assassination, Mary reacted with no emotion and was rather cold. She died four years after George, in 1632, and was buried alongside her son in Westminster Abbey.

Who did George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham marry?

George Villiers married Lady Katherine Manners, who was said to be the richest woman in England.

The union was objected to by Katherine’s father, the 6th Earl of Rutland, and even King James himself.

To satisfy the King, Katherine converted to Protestantism from the Roman Catholic faith, while Katherine’s stay at the Villiers house when taken sick led to her honour being questioned by her father who refused to have her back, ordering George to marry her. Despite some initial protestations from him (as if we believe those were genuine) George did marry Katherine.

The union went on to sire four children and although Katherine’s looks were said to not match her husband’s beauty, Katherine Villiers proved a worthy shrewd match for her powerful husband and avoided all scandal in her day.

Following George’s death in 1628 and then her father’s in 1632, Katherine inherited the ancient barony of de Ros in her own right.

In 1635, Katherine married Roman Catholic magnate Randall MacDonnell, Earl of Mantrim and they were together until her death in 1649 at the age of around 46, possibly of the plague.