English aristocrat and politician George Villiers, the 1st Duke of Buckingham, was BOTD in 1592. Born in Brooksby, Leicestershire into the minor gentry, he was groomed by his ambitious mother for stardom, and sent to Paris to learn dancing, fencing and French. Hustled by his mother into royal circles, he attended a royal hunt in 1614, where he caught the lecherous eye of King James I. Opponents of royal favourite the Earl of Somerset saw an opportunity to displace him, and lobbied to appoint Villiers as Royal cup-bearer, giving him greater access to the King. Villiers also performed in court masques, allowing the King to admire his shapely legs. Described as “the handsomest-bodied man in all of England“, he quickly became the King’s companion and closest adviser, rising through the ranks of nobility and becoming a duke in 1623. Constantly aware of his public image, he commissioned several portraits of himself, including by Peter Paul Rubens. He married in 1620, producing four children, while maintaining his relationship with the king. His influence at court and lavish spending earned him many enemies. Villiers led the marriage negotiations for James’ eldest son and heir Charles, shrewdly assuring his position at court after Charles became king in 1625. After leading unsuccessful wars against Spain and France, his unpopularity grew, and was twice tried for impeachment by Parliament, saved both times by Charles. Villiers was stabbed to death in 1628 at the Greyhound Pub in Portsmouth, aged 35. His death was met with widespread approval. His assassin John Felton was sentenced to death, but his body became an object of public veneration. Villiers appeared as a character in Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel The Three Musketeers. He has been portrayed many times on screen, notably by Nicholas Galitzine in the 2024 TV series Mary & George, directed by Oliver Hermanus.