BUCKINGHAM, DUKE OF

a loyal courtier to the king and outspoken critic of Cardinal Wolsey in Shakespeare's Henry VIII. Buckingham is the son of the duke who was executed for betraying Richard III to support Henry, earl of Richmond (later Henry VII), and his own groundless arrest and execution for treason is an early demonstration of Wolsey's power and malice. chief supporter and accomplice of Richard, duke of Gloucester, in Shakespeare's Richard III. Hoping for his own advancement, Buckingham works diligently to help Richard to the throne until his reluctance to kill the young princes in the Tower causes a falling out with the king, and he joins the attacking forces of Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond. Buckingham's capture and execution are Richard's last triumph.