George Buck facts for kids
Sir George Buck (also known as Buc) was an important English historian, scholar, and writer. He lived from around 1560 to October 1622. He served as a Member of Parliament and worked for Queen Elizabeth I. Later, he became the Master of the Revels for King James I. This meant he was in charge of plays and entertainment in England.
Buck also fought in the war against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He joined the Cadiz expedition in 1596. He was knighted in 1603. As Master of the Revels, he licensed and supervised plays, including some by William Shakespeare. He also had to censor plays, making sure they didn't upset anyone with their religious or political messages.
Buck wrote several books. His poem Daphnis Polystephanos (1605) praised King James I's family. His book "The Third Vniversite of England" (1615) described all the different schools and learning places in London. His most famous work was The History of King Richard the Third. In this book, he defended King Richard III and looked closely at the accusations against him. He found important new historical documents, like the Croyland Chronicle, which helped explain Richard's claim to the throne.
Contents
Early Life and Adventures
George Buck was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and was baptized on October 1, 1560. His family had a connection to King Richard III. His great-grandfather, Sir John Buck, was executed for supporting Richard III.
George Buck went to Cambridge University. After that, he studied law in London. He worked for the government, carrying messages from France in 1587. He served in the navy under Lord Admiral Charles Howard. He fought against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also joined a successful trip to Cadiz in 1596. During this time, he delivered messages to Queen Elizabeth.
In 1588, he became an Esquire of the Body, a special assistant to the Queen. He was also a Member of Parliament for Gatton in 1593 and 1597. He continued to work as a diplomat for the Queen. He went on missions to Flanders in 1601 and Spain in 1605.
Master of Plays and Entertainment
In 1597, Queen Elizabeth I seemed to promise Buck a future job as the Master of the Revels. This job would become available after the current Master, Edmund Tilney, left. Another playwright, John Lyly, was also hoping for the job.
When King James I became king in 1603, Buck officially received the job. At the same time, King James I made Buck a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and knighted him. In 1606, Buck started to approve plays for publication.
The Master of the Revels was in charge of all entertainment for the royal court. This included supervising and censoring plays before they were performed in public theaters. Buck was responsible for checking Shakespeare's later plays. He also had to re-check older Shakespeare plays if they were performed again. This was because new rules against bad language were added in 1606.
Buck was very careful and knowledgeable in his censorship. He made notes on play scripts. He made sure plays avoided bad language and sensitive topics about religion or politics. He also wrote a book about the "Art of Revels," but this book is now lost. In it, he praised the theater in London.
Historian and Writer
Sir George Buck was a historian and a poet. His main poem, Daphnis Polystephanos (1605), was written to celebrate King James I. It mentioned Richard III in a good way. It said that not all accusations against Richard were proven. It also noted that Richard built churches and made good laws.
Buck's book "The Third Vniversite of England" (1615) described all the different types of education in London. This included everything from beauty lessons to law and medicine. It also covered music, sports, and drama. This book helped him become known as an early historian of London. He also worked on a book called The Baron, about English titles, but it is now lost.
His most important prose work was The History of King Richard the Third. He finished it in 1619. After his death, his great-nephew, also named George Buck, got hold of the book. He changed it a lot and published it in 1646 as his own work. This damaged Sir George Buck's reputation for many years. The original, true text of Buck's History was not published until 1979.
Buck was the first to defend Richard III in a detailed way. He looked at the evidence fairly. He pointed out that suspicions are not proof in law. He summarized Richard's life and reign. Then, he discussed the accusations against Richard. He questioned the sources of information, looking at why they might be biased. He used original documents and spoken reports.
He also talked about whether Richard's claim to the throne was legal. Buck found important new historical documents. These included the Croyland Chronicle and a petition to Parliament called Titulus Regius. This petition said that King Edward IV's children were not legitimate. It helped explain why Richard III became king. King Henry VII tried to hide this document. A famous scholar, William Camden, praised Buck's historical work.
Last Years and Death
From 1613, Sir George Buck and his team at the Revels Office faced delays in getting paid. By March 1622, Buck was too ill to do his job. He was declared insane the next month. Sir John Astley took over his role.
Sir George Buck died in October 1622. He left a large amount of property. However, his nephew Stephen Buck presented a will that might have been fake. It named Stephen and his son George as the heirs.
Sources
- Baldwin, David (2011). Elizabeth Woodville: Mother of the Princes in the Tower, The History Press ISBN: 0752468979
- Buck, George. The History of King Richard the Third (1619), Gloucester: Alan Sutton, (ed.) Kincaid, Arthur (1979; 2nd edition 1981) ISBN: 0904387267
- Buck, George. "The Third Vniversite of England", printed as an appendix to Stow, John (1615). The Annales or Generall Chronicle of England, London
- Chambers, Edmund (1906). Notes on the History of the Revels Office under the Tudors, London: A. H. Bullen
- Chambers, Edmund (1923). The Elizabethan Stage, Oxford: Clarendon Press, vol. 1
- Dutton, Richard (1991). Mastering the Revels: The Regulation and Censorship of English Renaissance Drama, London: Palgrave Macmillan ISBN: 0-87745-335-7
- Eccles, Mark (1933). "Sir George Buc, Master of the Revels", in Sisson, Charles Jasper. Thomas Lodge and Other Elizabethans, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 409–506
- Maitland, William (2nd ed. 1756). The History and Survey of London, London: Osborne, Shipton & Hodges
