George Villiers Buckingham, 2d duke of  Buckingham, George
Villiers, 2d duke of, 1628–87, English courtier; son of the 1st
duke. Brought up with the royal family and educated at
Cambridge, he was a strong royalist in the English civil war. In
1648 he escaped to the Continent, where he became a privy
councillor of the exiled Charles II. He accompanied Charles to
Scotland in 1650 and fought at Worcester (1651), but later
intrigues with Oliver Cromwell's government estranged him from
Charles. In 1657, Buckingham returned to England and married
Mary, the daughter of the Puritan general Thomas Fairfax of
Cameron. He hoped thereby to recover his estates, which had been
confiscated in 1651, but instead he was imprisoned until 1659.
After the Restoration (1660) he regained the favor of Charles II
and was one of the most powerful courtiers of the reign. Vain
and ambitious, he was known for his recklessness, quarrelsome
temper, and lack of principle. He was a member of the Cabal and
a bitter rival of his fellow ministe