Ferguson, Richard Saul (1871), Cumberland and Westmorland M.P.'s from the Restoration to the Reform Bill of 1867, 1660–1867, London: London Bell 2nd Daldy, p. 30 Villiers was a signatory to The Several Declarations of The Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa, a document published in 1667 which led to the creation of the Royal Africa Company. [11] [12] He was born in Brooksby, Leicestershire, in August 1592, the son of the minor gentleman Sir George Villiers (1550-1604). His mother, Mary (1570 - 1632), daughter of Anthony Beaumont of Glenfield, Leicestershire, who was left a widow early, educated him for a courtier's life, sending him to France with Sir John Eliot.

Susan Villiers († 1652), daughter of Sir George Villiers († 1606), married William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh, parents-in-law to James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton. The Duke had a lifelong interest in science, acquired during the civil war, while he was exiled in France. There, he carried out a variety of laboratory experiments assisted by Prince Charles (the future Charles II). [19] He was especially interested in alchemy, and hoped to find a method of producing the philosopher's stone [20] [21] This obsession with alchemy continued throughout his lifetime so that his frequent absences from court, mistakenly attributed to visits to a lover were, very often, periods when the Duke was engrossed in his experiments. [22] Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. Seventh Report, Part 1, for March 1667, Report and Appendix. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. pp.468, 469 (for 1879).

The influence James' favourites had on politics, and the resentment at the wealth they acquired, became major political issues during his reign. The extent to which the King's relationships with the men was sexual was a topic of bawdy contemporary speculation.

David M. Bergeron (2002). King James and Letters of Homoerotic Desire. University of Iowa Press. p.98. ISBN 978-1587292729. Portraits of James and his favourites, L to R: James VI & I, Esme Stewart, Robert Carr, George Villiers. Bentham, Jeremy; Crompton, Louis (1978). "Offences Against One's Self". Journal of Homosexuality. 3 (4): 389–405, continued in v.4:1(1978). doi: 10.1300/J082v03n04_07. PMID 353189.

Framed & unframed prints

In the 2003 British television mini-series Charles II: The Power and The Passion, Villiers is portrayed by the British actor Rupert Graves. Cannadine, Sir David (Introduction); Cooper, Tarnya; Stewart, Louise; MacGibbon, Rab; Cox, Paul; Peltz, Lucy; Moorhouse, Paul; Broadley, Rosie; Jascot-Gill, Sabina, Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits, 2018 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA, 7 October 2018 -3 February 2019. Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia, 16 March - 14 July 2019.), p. 106 The final painting was destroyed in a fire in 1949, so it is very fortunate to have found this version, Grosvenor said. Rubens, a pioneer of the Flemish Baroque tradition, is considered one of the most influential painters in history and his work is worth millions.

a b Arthur Aspinall, ed. (1962). The later correspondence of George III. pp.484–486, 581–582. ISBN 9780521074513. This allowed for a new assessment of its attribution and the painting was authenticated as a Rubens by Ben van Beneden, the director of the Rubenshuis in Antwerp.Elizabeth Villiers († 1654), daughter of Sir George Villiers († 1606), married John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield. The English ships were supposed to aid Richelieu in his struggle against the Huguenots (i.e. French Protestants) in exchange for French assistance against Spain. During this diplomatic mission in France, Villiers courted Queen Anne of Austria, which resulted in his expulsion and caused animosity from Louis XIII and Cardinal de Richelieu.