George Villiers, the son
of the 1st Duke of Buckingham, was born in London
in 1627. After the assassination of his father he was brought up in
the family of Charles
I.
On the outbreak of the
Civil War he joined the Cavaliers.
In 1648 he escaped to Scotland with Charles
II and went into
exile.
During the Commonwealth
Buckingham returned secretly to the daughter of General Thomas
Fairfax. At the Restoration he
had his estates restored and joined the court of Charles
II.
Buckingham was an influential
figure in the government and won a long-drawn battle with the Earl
of Clarendon.
He also developed a reputation for debauchery and in 1667 killed in
a duel the Earl of Shrewsbury, the husband of his mistress.
In 1674 Buckingham was
dismissed from government for alleged Catholic
sympathies. George Villiers, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, died in 1687.
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