The King's Assassin

"... David Timson narrates this sweeping history of the court of King James I... Timson's emotionally demonstrative tones echo throughout this complex study of Villiers and the British court, adding suspense to every turn..." AudioFile Magazine An absorbing account of the conspiracy to kill King James I by his handsome lover, the Duke of Buckingham, a historical crime that has remained hidden for 400 years.

The rise of George Villiers from minor gentry to royal power seemed to defy gravity. Becoming gentleman of the royal bedchamber in 1615, the young gallant enraptured James, Britains first Stuart king, royal adoration reaching such an intensity that the king declared he wanted the courtier to become his wife. For a decade, Villiers was at the kings side at court, on state occasions, and in bed, right up to Jamess death in March 1625.

Almost immediately, Villiers many enemies accused him of poisoning the king. A parliamentary investigation was launched, and scurrilous pamphlets and ballads circulated Londons streets. But the charges came to nothing, and were relegated to a historical footnote.

Now, new research suggests that a deadly combination of hubris and vulnerability did indeed drive Villiers to kill the man who made him. It may have been by accident the application of a quack remedy while the king was weakened by a malarial attack. But there is compelling evidence that Villiers, overcome by ambition and frustrated by Jamess passive approach to government, poisoned him.

In The Kings Assassin, acclaimed author Benjamin Woolley examines this remarkable, even tragic story. Combining vivid characterization and a strong narrative with historical scholarship and forensic investigation, Woolley tells the story of King Jamess death, and of the captivating figure at its center.

Woolley is an author and broadcaster whose work covers subjects ranging from the origins of virtual reality, to the Elizabethan philosopher, scientist and conjurer John Dee, and from the mathematician and computing pioneer (and daughter of Lord Byron) Ada Lovelace to the history of colonial America. His books, including The King's Assassin, have been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese, and his documentaries broadcast across the world. He lives in London.