Reuben Hoar Library (Littleton)

The king's assassin, the secret plot to murder King James I, Benjamin Woolley

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-328) and index

individual biography

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

The king's assassin

bibliography

1001329792

Benjamin Woolley

the secret plot to murder King James I

"An absorbing account of the conspiracy to kill King James I by his handsome lover, the Duke of Buckingham, an historical crime that has remained hidden for 400 years. The rise of George Villiers from minor gentry to royal power seemed to defy gravity. Becoming gentleman of the royal bedchamber in 1615, the young gallant enraptured James, Britain's first Stuart king, royal adoration reaching such an intensity that the king declared he wanted the courtier to become his 'wife'. For a decade, Villiers was at the king's side - at court, on state occasions, and in bed, right up to James's death in March 1625. Almost immediately, Villiers' many enemies accused him of poisoning the king. A parliamentary investigation was launched, and scurrilous pamphlets and ballads circulated London's streets. But the charges came to nothing, and were relegated to a historical footnote. Now, new historical scholarship suggests that a deadly combination of hubris and vulnerability did indeed drive Villiers to kill the man who made him. It may have been by accident - the application of a quack remedy while the king was weakened by a malarial attack. But there is compelling evidence that Villiers, overcome by ambition and frustrated by James's passive approach to government, poisoned him. In The King's Assassin, acclaimed author Benjamin Woolley examines this remarkable, even tragic story. Combining vivid characterization and a strong narrative with historical scholarship and forensic investigation, Woolley tells the story of King James's death, and of the captivating figure at its center"--, Provided by publisher

Christ had his John and I have my George -- Two venturous knights -- The greatest villain in the world -- We the CommonsAct I: Christ had his John and I have my George. The King's way ; The malcontent ; All we here sit in darkness ; Debateable lands ; Apethorpe ; Baynard's castle ; St George's Day ; The matter of the garter ; Neither a god nor an angel ; Keeper of the seal ; Made or marred ; Wickedest things ; Poor George Villiers -- Act II: Two venturous knights. The favourite and the fountain ; A masque on Twelfth Night ; The Spanish match ; Periwigs ; The House of the Seven Chimneys ; Secret intelligencers ; A farewell pillar ; Fool's coats -- Act III: The greatest villain in the world. The honey and the sting ; The English junta ; A secret matter ; The banqueting house ; Countless difficulties ; The forger of every mischief ; A game at chess ; Hobgoblins ; To ride away an ague ; The price of a princess ; What an age we do live in -- Act IV: We the commons. Poisonous applications ; Anne of Austria ; And so the devil go with them ; All goes backward ; The knot draws near ; Common fame ; The bottomless bagg ; The forerunner of revenge ; Great matters of weight ; A silly piece of malice ; Dissolution ; The devil and the duke ; The scrivener's tale ; I am the man ; Sad affliction's darksome night