History is usually written by the winners, but in the case of the Stuart court, it was written by the survivors and the gossips. If you’ve seen the recent TV adaptations, you might think the story of King James I, Mary, and George is just a bunch of Hollywood spice. It isn't. The real-life trajectory of the Villiers family is actually weirder, more calculated, and arguably more ruthless than anything a screenwriter could dream up.
Basically, it’s a story about a penniless widow, her "handsomest-bodied" son, and a King who was desperately lonely.
How Mary Villiers Engineered a Dynasty
Mary Beaumont was not a woman born into the high life. Far from it. She started out as a waiting woman—a fancy term for a servant—to a wealthy relative. She was smart, though. She married her cousin, Sir George Villiers, but when he died in 1606, she was left broke with four kids.
Most women in the 17th century would have just faded into the background. Not Mary. She was a "shrewd judge of men and opportunity," as historian Benjamin Woolley puts it. She begged, borrowed, and (allegedly) stole to get her second son, George Villiers, to France. Why? To learn the "courtly arts." We're talking fencing, dancing, and how to speak French with just enough flair to turn heads.
She wasn't just being a supportive mom. She was grooming a tool. She knew King James I had a "thing" for beautiful, polished young men.
The Meeting at Apethorpe
In August 1614, the plan finally hit the pavement. George was 21, broke, but looked like a literal angel. He was "placed" in front of the King during a hunt at Apethorpe. James, who was already getting bored with his current favorite, Robert Carr, was instantly smitten.
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It wasn't an accident. A whole faction of Protestant courtiers who hated Carr helped Mary push George into the King’s line of sight. They even raised money to buy him a better wardrobe. Imagine a group of powerful politicians acting like a glam squad for a social climber. That was the Jacobean court.
The King and His "Steenie"
The relationship between King James I and George escalated at a speed that made everyone’s head spin. Within a year, George was knighted. By 1623, he was the Duke of Buckingham. He was the first commoner in ages to be given a dukedom.
James called him "Steenie," a nickname based on St. Stephen, who was said to have the face of an angel.
What Really Happened Behind Closed Doors?
People love to debate whether they were actually lovers. Honestly? The letters they wrote to each other don't leave much to the imagination. James once wrote to George saying he loved him "more than anyone else" and even compared their bond to Jesus and John the Apostle. He literally referred to himself as George’s "husband" and George as his "wife."
They even had a secret passageway connecting their bedrooms at Apethorpe.
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It wasn't just about sex, though. It was a weird, intense emotional codependency. James had a traumatic childhood; his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed, and his father was murdered. He spent his life looking for a family he could trust. Mary Villiers saw that vacuum and filled it with her son.
Mary’s Dark Reputation
While George was busy being the King's favorite, Mary was the one pulling the strings in the background. She became the Countess of Buckingham in her own right—a massive deal for a woman who started as a kitchen maid.
She was polarizing. To her enemies, she was a greedy, loud-mouthed social climber. She was even accused of "trapping" George’s future wife, Katherine Manners, by forcing her to stay the night in a house with George so her reputation would be ruined and her father would have to agree to the marriage.
The Poison Rumors: Did George Kill the King?
By 1625, the honeymoon was over. James was old, sick with "tertian ague" (likely malaria), and George was getting arrogant.
When James was on his deathbed, Mary and George took over his medical care. They applied special plasters to his wrists and gave him a "posset" (a medicinal drink). When the King died shortly after, the rumors exploded. People claimed George had poisoned the King to keep his power under the new heir, Prince Charles.
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There’s no hard proof they murdered him, but the fact that people believed it shows how much the public hated the Villiers' grip on the throne. George didn't last much longer anyway. He was assassinated in 1628 by a disgruntled soldier named John Felton. Mary, ever the stoic, supposedly reacted to the news without shedding a single tear.
Why This Matters Now
The story of King James I, Mary, and George isn't just a scandal. It changed English history. George’s influence over both James and his son, Charles I, helped create the political tension that eventually led to the English Civil War.
If you want to understand how the Villiers family operated, look at the surviving portraits of the Duke of Buckingham. He is usually dripping in pearls—more pearls than the Queen. That wasn't just fashion. It was a middle finger to the old nobility.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
- Read the source material: If you want the real grit, check out The King's Assassin by Benjamin Woolley. It uses actual court documents and letters.
- Visit the sites: If you're ever in the UK, Apethorpe Palace is where it all started. You can still see the architecture designed to facilitate the King’s "private" meetings.
- Look at the art: George was a massive patron of Peter Paul Rubens. The art he commissioned was often a subtle way of broadcasting his intimacy with the King.
The Villiers' rise was a masterclass in social engineering. It reminds us that in the 1600s, power wasn't just about who had the biggest army—it was about who had the King's ear (and his heart).