The titles
Marquess and Duke of Buckingham,
referring to Buckingham
, have been created several times in the peerages of
England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There
have also been
Earls of
Buckingham.
1444 creation
On 14 September 1444,
Humphrey Stafford, 6th
Earl of Stafford, was created
Duke of
Buckingham. He was the son of
Anne of Gloucester, "Countess of
Buckingham", daughter of
Thomas of
Woodstock, Earl of Buckingham (later
Duke of Gloucester), youngest son of
King Edward III of England.
Stafford
was an important supporter of the House of Lancaster in the Wars of the Roses, and was killed at the
Battle of
Northampton
in July 1460.
He was succeeded by his grandson,
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke
of Buckingham, who aided
Richard III in his claiming the
throne in 1483 (
Edward IV of
England's marriage to
Elizabeth
Woodville having been declared null and void and Edward's sons
illegitimate by Act of Parliament
Titulus
Regius), but who then led a revolt against Richard and was
executed later that same year. His son,
Edward Stafford, 3rd
Duke of Buckingham, was restored to the title upon
Henry VII's accession to the throne in
1485, but he was ultimately executed for treason in 1521 due to his
opposition to Cardinal
Thomas Wolsey,
Henry VIII's chief advisor. At this time
the title became extinct.
The Stafford family descended from
Edmond de Stafford, who was summoned to
Parliament as
Lord Stafford in 1299. The second
Baron was created
Earl of Stafford in
1351. These titles were forfeited along with the
dukedom.
1623 creation
George Villiers,
1st Duke of Buckingham
The Dukedom was created anew for
James I's favourite,
George Villiers. He
was made
Baron Whaddon, of Whaddon in the County
of Buckingham, and
Viscount Villiers in 1616,
Earl of Buckingham in 1617,
Marquess of
Buckingham in 1618 and
Earl of Coventry
and
Duke of Buckingham in 1623.
Buckingham, who
continued in office as chief minister into the reign of James's
son, Charles I, was responsible
for a policy of war against Spain and France, and was assassinated
by a Puritan fanatic, John Felton, in 1628 as he prepared
an expedition to relieve the Huguenots of
La
Rochelle
.
His son,
George
Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was a notable advisor in the
reign of
Charles II, and,
along with
Lord Ashley
made up the Protestant axis of the famous
Cabal Ministry. When he died in 1687, the
title again became extinct.
Several other members of the Villiers family have been elevated to
the peerage.
Christopher Villiers,
1st Earl of Anglesey, and
John Villiers, 1st Viscount
Purbeck, were brothers of the first Duke of Buckingham. Also,
Edward Villiers, 1st
Earl of Jersey, was the great-nephew of the first Duke of
Buckingham while
Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl
of Clarendon, was the second son of the second Earl of
Jersey.
1703 creation
The title of
Duke of Buckingham and Normanby was
created in 1703 for
John Sheffield,
Marquess of Normanby, a notable
Tory politician
of the late Stuart period, who served under
Queen Anne as
Lord Privy Seal and
Lord President of the Council.
For more information on this title, see the
Duke of Buckingham and
Normanby.
1822 creation
In
1784,
George
Nugent Temple Grenville, 3rd Earl Temple, a son of
Prime Minister George Grenville, was created
Marquess of Buckingham in the peerage of Great
Britain. He served as
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, among
other offices. His son, Richard Nugent Temple Grenville was created
Duke of Buckingham and
Chandos in 1822. For more information on these titles, see the
Viscount Cobham.
Barons Stafford (1299)
Earls of Stafford (1351)
- Ralph Stafford,
1st Earl of Stafford (1301–1372) was a notable soldier in the
Hundred Years' War
- Hugh de
Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford (c. 1342–1386), eldest son of
the 1st Earl
- Thomas
Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford (c. 1368–1392), second son of
the 2nd Earl
- William
Stafford, 4th Earl of Stafford (1375–1395), third son of the
2nd Earl
- Edmund
Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford (1378–1403), fifth son of the
2nd Earl
- Humphrey
Stafford, 6th Earl of Stafford (1402–1460), created
Duke of Buckingham in 1444
Dukes of Buckingham, first Creation (1444)
- *Humphrey
Stafford, Earl of Stafford (1425–1458), eldest son of the 1st
Duke, predeceased his father
Dukes of Buckingham, second Creation (1623)
Dukes of Buckingham and Normanby (1703)
Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos (1822)
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