John Felton (assassin)
John Felton | |
|---|---|
Felton in Prison, illustration from Cassell's illustrated history of England (1865) | |
| Born | c. 1595 possibly Suffolk, England |
| Died | 29 November 1628 (aged 32–33) |
| Occupation | Army officer |
| Criminal status | Executed by hanging |
| Parents |
|
| Conviction | Assassination of the Duke of Buckingham |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Penalty | Death by hanging |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | England |
| Branch | English army |
| Service years | 1625–1627 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Conflicts | |
Lieutenant John Felton (c. 1595 – 29 November 1628) was an English army 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.