George Villiers: from royal favourite to enemy number one

History Extra podcast

Immediate Media

History

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, had charm and political ambition by the bucketload – and his rise as a favourite of King James I and VI in the late 16th century was meteoric. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Lucy Hughes-Hallett discusses the brief but action-packed life of Villiers, whose dazzling beauty and political influence brought him from obscurity to the highest ranks of power in the courts of two kings – before seeing him fall foul of public anger. (Ad) Lucy Hughes-Hallett is the author of The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham (HarperCollins, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-scapegoat%2Flucy-hughes-hallett%2F9780008126551. Benjamin Woolley introduces listeners George Villiers and his mother Mary, the mother-and-son duo who changed the face of the royal court in the early 17th century: https://link.chtbl.com/C-FlqINi. Joe Ellis explores the life and dual reign of King James VI of Scotland and I of England: https://link.chtbl.com/bVjgtoXy. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:33.7	Welcome to the History Extra podcast, fascinating historical conversations from the makers of BBC History Magazine.
0:43.0	The rise of George Villiers was meteoric. Born into middling nobility, his elevation as a favourite of James Ix and 1st, saw him given the title of the Duke of Buckingham,
0:56.3	and also saw him gain immense influence, which carried on through the reign of James's son
1:02.1	and successor Charles I. Yet as Villiers' powers grew, he quickly became a lightning rod
1:08.8	for the growing anger and resentment directed at the crown in the early 17th century.
1:14.2	And his downfall was swift and brutal.
1:18.0	Lucy Hughes Hallett, author of The Scapegoat, a new biography of Villiers, shared more with Eleanor Evans.
1:24.7	Lucy, can you introduce us to George Villiers and how he came to be at the
1:29.6	King's court? Certainly, yes. So King James I first, he was a married man. He was married to Queen
1:37.3	Anne of Denmark. He got her pregnant seven times. Only three of those children survived past infancy.
1:43.7	But everybody knew that the king loved young men.
1:47.8	And for many years, he'd been besotted with Robert Carr, who became the Earl of Somerset.
1:53.2	And Carr had risen very far.
1:56.2	He'd become the Lord High Chamberlain.
1:58.6	He'd become an earl.
1:59.9	He'd become one of the richest people in the country.
	...

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