The Second Duke of Buckingham was Henry Stafford, a man of noble lineage whose ambition led him from a relatively obscure position to within close range of the throne itself. He was closely involved with the rise of Richard III, and is suspected of involvement in the slaying of the young Princes at the Tower of London. He eventually turned on his benefactor and supported an effort to overthrow Richard and place Henry Tudor on the throne, although his goal may have been to claim the kingship for himself. At any event, this rebellion was crushed and Buckingham turned in for bounty and executed.In Shakespeare's play Richard III, Buckingham is a combination of a plotter and a lackey. He is utterly loyal to Richard until Richard tries to draw him into the murder of the Princes, when Buckingham's conscience weakens him. An angry Richard denies him the Earldom of Hereford, widening the gap between them. Ultimately Richard orders him hunted and killed, which occurs on the eve of the battle that ends Richard's own reign and life. Show less «