General Notes

Political rival of Henry VIII of England. The eldest son of Henry Stafford,
2d duke of Buckingham, Edward Stafford inherited his father's title when
Henry VII became king in 1485. Under Henry VIII he became a privy councillor
and lord high constable, but because he had a claim to the throne as a
descendant of Edward III, Henry regarded him as a potential threat. Having
also aroused the enmity of Henry's chief minister, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey,
Buckingham was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London in April 1521.
He was convicted of plotting against the king and was beheaded the following
month.