Book Review: "The Scape-Goat" by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (Pt. 3)

It is clear that Buckingham has a strong hold over the King. He is reimagined as the Trojan Ganymede - a younger man who has sex with an older one, as the people of the court begin to recognise how improper the King's relationship with him is. Hallett talks about the way in which Buckingham was most desirable to the King and that the King used the charges of Francis Bacon to deflect away from this relationship.

When it comes to Buckingham himself however, there are some comparisons made between him and the lovers of Edward II, especially Despenser. I would say that at least Piers Gaveston was understood to be unlikeable from the play Edward II by Christopher Marlowe, but one of the men in James' court calls Buckingham closer to Despenser as a pirate and a monster. Personally, I adore reading about Edward II, but many people in James' time were extremely homophobic and so, it would make sense that they didn't like him.

Francis Bacon in the mean time, isn't allowed back to London and so cannot use his houses. He is tried and now can't pay the fine. Buckingham tries to 'help out' with this but Bacon doesn't see it that way. Now that Bacon has been replaced in court, there is far more wriggle room for Villiers and his family. Finally, our author is portrayed Buckingham as the manipulative and greedy man he really is. No amount of masques for the King can change my mind about this - the man is getting slimy.

It wasn't before long that Buckingham received Bacon's property, but then he started making moves in terms of his friendship with the doomed prince, Charles - who would go on to start the English Civil Wars. Buckingham was definitely moving defiantly and confidently and, Hallett, describes that a lot of people knew and none of them liked it. I'm really enjoying learning about this side of Buckingham, it definitely makes him seem like one of the court in terms of intrigue. As for James, he was too busy rebuking people for calling him a woman. He was effeminate to the point that the papal office had to step in. Too much a pacifist, the cardinals stated that the King must be a man of war. James was of course offended.

Of course, Buckingham and the Prince were getting closer since it was Buckingham who recommended they go to Spain to get the Prince's promised wife, Infanta Maria. Of course, going into the same territory that only a few years ago was not very friendly with England was not something you should be doing with the sole heir of England but Buckingham managed to trick the King into agreeing to it by saying that he was not to tell anyone of their exploits. James sooner or later found out what was going on but by then, the men were halfway down the land by horse. Oh, and if you think that was bad - the men were going into France 'incognito'. Of course, this was about to go down like a lead balloon. Especially considering that the King felt like he had been swindled.

He doesn't want to agree to Spain's demands, which is the only way Charles can marry Infanta Maria. He never would. Through all of this, one of the demands to marry Infanta Maria was that Charles would convert to Catholicism, for which he said he was ready to do so, but we would never really know if that is true. Buckingham though was protestant through and through, and so they wrote to James asking about what they should do about this. Infanta Maria was 16 and Charles was 22, it was agreed by Charles that it was time they got married. Time was running low.

James had written to the pair, granting the marriage by Charles having to agree to whatever demands the Spanish set up. But Maria wasn't really interested, what Charles saw as courting Maria saw as assault. She was weary about marrying a protestant and knowing her husband would be 'condemned to hell' as would her children be. She was headstrong and often ignored his advances. This was becoming a back and forth indeed and atop of this, the author intersperses chapters on how to bargain in this fashion, showcasing exactly what Charles got completely wrong about it.

Of course, Charles would eventually marry Henrietta of France but for now, he was courting the royal Spanish Princess. It seems like the news of a conversion got back to James and he wrote back stating that the news had shortened his life span. Charles got cold feet and Buckingham was hated by the Spanish enough that they were going to let him leave, but not Charles. No, Charles was to stay until authorisation was given. But that wouldn't be for long. Hallett writes this with great tension and fever even though we knew what was going to happen. Buckingham's a show-off in the Spanish courts and overdresses for each situation, Charles is a shy but thoughtful man who wishes to make a good alliance. But the King says that he must not convert. This was not something on the list of demands that James said Charles should agree to.

Eventually Charles would be able to escape, returning the art that he was given as the Spanish would return the jewels he gifted to the Infanta. Whilst Charles would grow to be executed by his subjects, the Infanta would marry and become in the 1620s, the Holy Roman Empress. So it looks like it worked out for her.

As we move through the book, we definitely get more of a look at war. Spain never really liked England all that much, the distaste of the Armada's defeat still hot on the tongue. I find this book entirely consuming and if you're going to read one book that is about a historical subject this year then please consider this one. It is fantastic.