The figure of the king’s favorite on the “lettere del Consiglio” and the “Essayes” de Francis Bacon: literary reflects of the impeachment of Lord Chancellor

Authors

  • Eleanora Lupini Università degli Studi di Ferrara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17811/hc.v0i11.275

Keywords:

England, XVII th, Royal Favourite, Patronage, Royal Bounty, Parliamentary Institution, Impeachment, Francis Bacon, Duke of Buckingham, James I

Abstract

The present article, through a study of two letter of advice, written by Francis Bacon (1561-1626) for the English favourite of James I, George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham, and some of his Essayes (1625), tries to analyse the theoretical reception of the figure of the royal favourite and the institutional and political context of his rising. In these works, infact, Francis Bacon not only showed an increasing consciousness on the main features of this political figure, the monopoly of patronage and royal counsel, but also expressed a negative opinion about a policy based only on a favourite. The view of the author should be connected with a political conviction, identified with the reign of Elizabeth I, in which the queen ruled with the Privy Council, and with the biographical events, who involved Bacon in 1621. Last part of the article, infact, is focused on the impeachment and the end of the political career of the Lord Chancellor.

 

Submission Date: 23/01/2010

Acceptance Date: 07/03/2010

Author Biography

Eleanora Lupini, Università degli Studi di Ferrara

Doctora en Historia de las Instituciones Políticas por la Universidad de Ferrara. Actualmente es Cultrice de dicha materia en la citada Universidad, en la que se licenció en 2004, con el trabajo titulado Educazione politica e teoria di Stato nel Norte de Principe di Juan Pablo Martir Rizo. Se doctoró en 2009, con una tesis sobre la figura del favorito del rey a comienzos del siglo XVII en Inglaterra, titulada Ascesa e “decadenza” di George Villiers (1592-1628): favorito regio nell’Inghilterra giacobita. Sus últimas publicaciones son: Francesco da Castello (N.?-M. Agosto 1511), medico ducale alla corte di Ercole I e Alfonso I: un rapporto di patronage, en Annali dell’Università di Ferrara – Sezione Storia, n. 4- 2007, pp. 141-162. Una Bibliografia del Humanismo Historico Italiano: 1990-2007 Ensayo de investigacion catalografica mediante soporte digital, en P. Aullón de Haro (ed.), Teoría del Humanismo, Madrid, Verbum, 2010, vol. I, pp. 349-384 (en prensa).

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Issue

No. 11 (2010): Historia Constitucional N. 11 (2010)

Section

United Kingdom and United States of America

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