Duke of Buckingham Assassinated

August 23, 1628

George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, royal favorite and architect of Charles I's failed military adventures, was stabbed to death in a Portsmouth inn by a disgruntled army lieutenant named John Felton. London rejoiced; Charles wept. The king's most trusted and most hated councillor was gone, and Charles was left to govern without the companion who had shielded him from political reality.