John Felton (assassin)

John Felton
Felton in Prison, illustration from Cassell's illustrated history of England (1865)[1]
Bornc. 1595
possibly Suffolk, Kingdom of England
Died29 November 1628(1628-11-29) (aged 32–33)
Tyburn, London, Kingdom of England
OccupationSoldier
Criminal statusExecuted by hanging
Parents
  • Thomas Felton
  • Elanor Wright
Conviction(s)Assassination of the Duke of Buckingham
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyDeath by hanging
Military career
Allegiance England
Service / branchEnglish army
Years of service1625–1627
RankLieutenant
Battles / warsAnglo-Spanish War

John Felton (c. 1595 – 29 November 1628) was an English military officer who assassinated George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham by stabbing him to death in the Greyhound Pub at Portsmouth on 23 August 1628. Charles I of England trusted Buckingham, who made himself rich in the process but proved a failure at foreign and military policy. Charles gave him command of a military expedition against Spain in 1625. It was a total fiasco with many dying from disease and starvation. He led another disastrous military campaign in 1627. Buckingham was hated and the damage to the king's reputation was irreparable. Buckingham's assassination by Felton was widely celebrated by the English public even after Felton's execution.[2]

  1. ^ "Cassell's illustrated history of England". Cassell Petter & Galpin. 1865. p. 139. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. ^ Thomas Cogswell, "John Felton, popular political culture, and the assassination of the duke of Buckingham." Historical Journal 49.2 (2006): 357–385.