Early Stuart England

1617

George Villiers, now Earl of Buckingham, begins creating a political network.  In exchange for royal offices, Buckingham demands marriage into the large Villiers family.  However, his aggressive exploitation of both public service and the institution of marriage draws criticism.

1615-1616

23 year old George Villiers supplants the disgraced earl of Somerset as King James' favourite.  However, the young man quickly proves to be far more ambitious than his backers imagined, and Villiers establishes a stranglehold on power that will last over a decade.

1615-1616

A murder scandal rocks James' inner circle, bringing down some of the most powerful people in the kingdom.

1615

In the wake of the failure of the Cockayne Project, James once again turns to his Privy Council for advice.  The remedy for the kingdom's financial ills is clear - James must attack corruption and rebuild confidence in his government.  To do so, the King turns to Lionel Cranfield, a merchant relentlessly devoted to efficiency.

1614-1615

After failing to secure money through parliament, James seeks to fill the state's treasury by reshaping the world of commerce.  Unfortunately he finds the merchants of London just as helpful as the lawyers of parliament.

The Howard administration faces its first test - a hastily planned parliament with the goal of solving the Crown's financial woes.

1613

In need of cash, James and his new chief minister (the earl of Northampton) shop young Prince Charles around Europe.  Likely princesses in Paris, Madrid, and Turin each come with the promise of significant a dowry, and political implications.

1613

The Howard faction strikes an alliance with Robert Carr, the Earl of Somerset (James' Scottish favourite).  As a result, the Howard family returns to the dominant position in English politics they once held in the Tudor era.

1612

18 year old Prince Henry organizes an alliance between England and the Protestants of Germany through the marriage of his sister, Elizabeth, to Frederick V, Elector of the Palatine.  As a result, England becomes involved in the convoluted politics of the Holy Roman Empire.

1611

From a cell in the Tower of London, Walter Raleigh organizes a voyage to discover El Dorado, the long lost city of gold in South America.  Leading the expedition is Thomas Roe, a young man of the Virginia Company.