The Attempted Impeachment of the First Duke of Buckingham in 1626

Abstract

On August 24, 1628, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and Lord Admiral of England was murdered in Portsmouth. His murderer, John Felton, stated his motivation in murdering the duke was that, "he believed he should do God good service if he killed the duke." Many members of Parliament two years before stated that it would do England good service if the duke was removed from .office. This thesis is a recount of Parliament's formal attempt to impeach the Duke of Buckingham in the spring of 1626. In this thesis the rise to power of Buckingham will be studied, the events leading to the impeachment and the proceedings will be described and the charges and Buckingham's defense along with related evidence will be examined.