23 August 1628

August 23, 1628, stands as the pivotal date on which the Duke of Buckingham, the favorite of King Charles I and the secret love of Queen Anne of Austria, was assassinated in Portsmouth by John Felton, a Puritan lieutenant whom Milady de Winter had seduced and weaponized. The death of Buckingham instantly dismantles the English expedition to relieve La Rochelle, secures Cardinal Richelieu's strategic triumph over both the Huguenot stronghold and his personal rival, and completes the mission for which Milady had been dispatched from France. Yet the same day also marks the moment when Milady's own fate begins to unravel, for the assassination sets in motion the chain of pursuit and vengeance that will end with her trial and execution on the banks of the Lys.

Background and the Cardinal's Design

The assassination of Buckingham was not a spontaneous act but the calculated endpoint of a plan Richelieu had set in motion weeks earlier. During a secret meeting at the inn of the Red Dovecot, the cardinal had instructed Milady to travel to London and deliver an ultimatum to the duke: abandon the war against France or face the consequences. When Milady pressed him on what would happen if Buckingham persisted, Richelieu spoke of "events that change the destinies of states" and invoked the precedent of Henry IV's assassination in 1610, hinting that a fanatic's knife could solve what diplomacy could not. He asked for "some woman, handsome, young, and clever, who has cause of quarrel with the duke" to place a weapon in a fanatic's hands. Milady replied that such a woman was already found—herself—and that the fanatic would be found as well. The cardinal gave her a signed safe-conduct, a document that would later become the instrument of her own undoing.

The Seduction of Felton

Milady's journey to England did not go as planned. Lord de Winter, warned by d'Artagnan's letter, intercepted her at Portsmouth and imprisoned her in his castle under the guard of John Felton, a young Puritan lieutenant of unimpeachable integrity. Over five days of captivity, Milady waged a calculated campaign of seduction, exploiting Felton's religious fervor and his hatred of Buckingham, whom the Puritans regarded as the Antichrist. She fabricated a story of having been seduced, drugged, and branded by the duke, showing him the fleur-de-lis on her shoulder—a mark actually inflicted by the executioner of Lille for her role in corrupting a priest. Felton, overwhelmed by pity and a fanatical sense of divine mission, swore to avenge her. On the night of August 22, he helped her escape the castle by rope ladder, rowed her to a waiting sloop, and then rode to Portsmouth to carry out the assassination.

The Assassination at Portsmouth

On the morning of August 23, Felton entered Portsmouth, where the city was in turmoil as Buckingham's fleet prepared to sail for La Rochelle. He presented himself at the Admiralty Palace with a letter from Lord de Winter, claiming to be a messenger. Admitted to the duke's private closet, Felton found Buckingham finishing his toilet, dressed in a blue velvet doublet embroidered with pearls. The duke, expecting news from France, took the paper Felton offered—the order for Milady's transportation—and prepared to sign it. Felton then revealed that he knew the woman was Milady de Winter and demanded her liberation. When Buckingham refused and called for help, Felton drew the knife Milady had used to fake her own suicide and plunged it into the duke's side up to the handle. Buckingham cried out, "Ah, traitor, you have killed me!" and collapsed. He died moments later, after receiving a letter from Queen Anne that had arrived too late—a letter begging him to abandon the war and warning him that his life was in danger.

Consequences and Aftermath

The assassination had immediate and far-reaching consequences. Lord de Winter, who had arrived at the palace moments too late, captured Felton on the staircase and handed him over to the guards. The news spread through Portsmouth and across the Channel; the English fleet never sailed, and La Rochelle, deprived of its promised relief, surrendered two months later on October 28, 1628. For Cardinal Richelieu, the death of Buckingham was a complete political victory, removing both a military threat and a personal rival for the queen's affections. For Milady, however, the day marked the beginning of the end. As Felton was led away, he saw the sloop carrying Milady toward France and realized he had been betrayed. Lord de Winter, following his gaze, swore that her accomplice would not escape. The pursuit that would culminate in Milady's trial and execution at Armentieres had already begun.

Narrative Role and Significance

August 23, 1628, functions as the narrative hinge on which the novel's final act turns. The assassination removes Buckingham from the story, clearing the way for the resolution of the siege of La Rochelle and the political plot. At the same time, it completes Milady's mission for the cardinal—she has done what he asked—but it also exposes her to the full force of the vengeance she has provoked. The date is the last fixed point in the chronology before the novel's denouement: the poisoning of Constance Bonacieux, the trial of Milady, and the promotion of d'Artagnan to lieutenant of the Musketeers all follow from the events of this single day. It is the moment when the private vendetta of the four friends intersects with the grand politics of Europe, and when the cardinal's instrument becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.