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Seit dem Jahr 1660 war Barbara Villiers, eine Cousine des Herzogs von Buckingham, eine der Hauptmätressen des englisch-schottischen Königs Karl II. Stuart, dem sie fünf oder sechs Kinder schenken sollte. Sie war ihm zum ersten Mal in Breda im Jahr 1660 begegnet: "There [in Breda] hundreds of Royalists swarmed to his [Karls II. Stuart] court, eager for a sign of favour from the coming man. Among them was a beautiful girl named Barbara Palmer, mistress of the Earl of Chesterfield, full in figure, lovely in complexion, radiant in her youth. Barbara was a Villiers, and therefore a member of one of England's most illustrious families. Her husband, Roger Palmer, was a dutiful if self-effacing [Catholic] Royalist; her father, Lord Grandison, had fought for Charles I in the Civil War and had died of his wounds. She therefore had some claims on the protection of her sovereign, and the King's favours were not withheld." (in: Christopher Falkus: The Life and Times of Charles II, id., p. 65).
Schon neun Monate nach der ersten sexuellen Begegnung zwischen Barbara Villiers und dem König Karl II. Stuart wurde ihre Tochter Anne (1661-1721/22) geboren: "... almost exactly nine months later, on 25 February 1661, [Anne was born] ... It is true that Barbara's husband, Roger Palmer, did acknowledge Anne as his own at the actual time of her birth, either because he was hoodwinked by Barbara into doing so, or because he chose to turn a blind eye to an unpleasant situation in order to preserve his marriage. But as Anne grew up, her royal paternity became quite obvious. She was officially designated the King's daughter at the time of her marriage [im Jahr 1674], created Countess of Sussex in her own right, and with Charlotte [(1664-1718, der Lieblingstochter von Karl II. Stuart] Countess of Lichfield, Barbara's second daughter by the King, came to form an important part of his inner family circle." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 182).
"Her husband, Roger Palmer, to whom she was married at the age of eighteen, appears as a sensitive and somewhat gloomy figure, his depression hardly surprising in view of the outrageous cuckolding by his young wife. In the autumn of 1661 he accepted the title of Earl of Castlemaine, with the further humiliation that its inheritance was limited to 'heirs of his body gotten on Barbara Palmer his now wife' - making the source of the honour quite clear. Shortly after the birth of Barbara's second child [Charles (1662-1730] by the King in June 1662, the new Earl separated from her, having first caused the boy to be baptized a Catholic. Barbara was to become a Catholic herself. But at the time she had the baby ostentatiously rechristened in the Anglican Church." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 210).
Barbara Villiers im Jahr 1662: "'Strange,' remarks Pepys, 'how the King is bewitched to this pretty Castlemaine [Barbara Villiers]; her interest at Court is now greater than the Queen’s [Katharina von Braganza]; and she, with Sir Charles Barkeley and Sir H. Bennett, both of whom she hath brought in, hath more influence with the King than any one else at Court.' … 'He sups, at least, four times every week with my Lady Castlemaine, and most often stays till the morning with her, and goes home through the garden all alone, privately, and that so as the very sentries take notice of it and speak of it.' The public loudly condemned these shameful doings of the King and his paramour. But Charles disregarded the clamours of the people, and carried her with him to Windsor, where, with his profligate Court, he celebrated the festival of St. George with unusual magnificence, in honour of the Duke of Monmouth’s marriage with Lady Anne Scott, heiress of Buccleugh. 'I did hear,' says Pepys, 'that the Queen is much grieved of late at the King’s neglecting her, he not having supped with her this quarter of a year. She was at Windsor, at the St. George’s feast there [April the twenty-third, 1663], and the Duke of Monmouth, dancing with her, with his hat in his hand, the King came in and kissed him, and made him put on his hat, which everybody took notice of; indeed, Monmouth is in so great splendour at Court, and so dandled by the King, that some doubt that if the King should have no child by the Queen, which there is yet no appearance of, whether he would not be acknowledged for a lawful son.'" (in: Francis Lancelott: The Queens of England and their Times, Volume II, id., pp. 718-719).
Barbara Villiers "... has had a bad press from historians who have been only too well aware of her greed, extravagance and tempers and have been therefore inclined to agree with John Evelyn's verdict - 'the curse of the Nation'. They have not had the opportunity to admire at first hand her sheer physical appeal, like that of a magnificent animal. Grammont described her as having 'the greatest reputation of the court beauties'; Sir John Reresby called her the finest woman of her age, while Bishop Burnet referred to her as 'a woman of great beauty' whose looks, even at the age of forty-two, were extraordinary. Pepys made her out of all the royal mistresses his firm favourite: she was his 'lovely Lady Castlemaine'. Pepys went as far as to buy a portrait of his pin-up, one of the many copies made by Sir Peter Lely for admirers of the great courtesan. Lely adored painting Barbara. With her heavy lidded, slanting eyes and sensuous sulky mouth ... Barbara had great buoyancy of spirit: the sort of gusto which prompted her in later years to take as a lover not only the playwright Wycherley, but also Jacob the Rope-dancer; his gymnastics inspired in her an adventurous desire to know how he might be 'under his tumbling clothes'. Another recipient of her favours was the actor Cardonnell Goodman, who would shout out 'Is my Duchess come?' before allowing the curtains to rise in the theatre. The act of love on which her fortunes were founded was certainly no chore to Barbara - later the satirists would even use the word insatiable. In youth however the impression is of enjoyment rather than of excess ... Certainly Barbara could be a termagant when aroused; the King [Karl II. Stuart], like many another man, quailed before her furies and gave in to them. ... Nevertheless, Barbara when young was clearly great fun. She kept a good table, as reported by the French Ambassador ... She also showed heart as well as temper, being, for instance, the only Court lady to go to the assistance of a child hurt when a scaffold collapsed at the theatre." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., pp. 208-209).
Die Beziehung zwischen Karl II. Stuart und Barbara Villiers war wie die zwischen Elizabeth Taylor und Richard Burton voller Leidenschaft, im Guten wie im Schlechten. Man liebte sich zum Exzess und hasste sich über alle Maßen. Als Karl II. Stuart Barbara Villiers aus Wut über sie befahl, das Schloss Whitehall sofort zu verlassen, erfahren wir von Pepys Folgendes: "... I am told she [Barbara Villiers] did in her anger say she would be even with the King, and print his letters to her, a threat which greatly terrified the King." (in: Francis Lancelott: The Queens of England and their Times, Volume II, id., p. 723).
"Some time in 1662 Barbara was accorded her own apartments within Whitehall. The accommodation included nurseries which proved most necessary since she bore a total of six children, all but the last acknowledged by the King. After her conversion to Catholicism in 1663 an oratory was provided. ... It was the coincidence of the Queen's arrival, Barbara's second pregnancy, and the resignation of Roger Castlemaine from his role as official husband, which brought about the unhappy 'Bedchamber Crisis' of the summer of 1662. ... already at Hampton Court 'my lady Barbara' had exercised those powers she knew well that she possessed over the King. On a petty level, she refused to light a fire outside her bedroom door to welcome the Queen [Katharina von Braganza] - the only person not to do so. More flagrantly, Barbara insisted that her latest accouchement [Geburt eines Kindes] should take place at Hampton Court during what was in fact the royal honeymoon. Worse was to follow. The trouble was that Barbara at this stage understood perfectly how to manage Charles - she appealed on this occasion not so much to his lust, but to that other potent emotion he felt towards the female sex, a sense of guilt. ... In a series of hideous scenes Barbara demanded, besought, and implored Charles to make her Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Queen. Eventually ... King Charles succumbed sufficiently to agree. ... In doing so he risked an extraordinary insult to his wife. ... Catherine certainly recognized Barbara's name, having been doubtless warned of her existence in advance, and, on seeing it in the list of Ladies of the Bedchamber presented for her agreement, crossed it angrily out. ... King Charles ... sent Clarendon to reason with her. One dreads to think of the task of this elderly Anglican, left to explain to a devout Catholic princess exactly what she going to have to tolerate in the name of marriage and concord. At first, Clarendon failed totally. He merely elicited further torrents of tears and threats to return to Portugal. The scandal reverberated. Madame in France [Karls II. jüngste Schwester Henriette Anna] was outspokenly shocked by her brother's behaviour to his wife. ... It took Queen Catherine a little time to discover that hysteria and threats were no way to play her cards where Charles was concerned - those were best left to Barbara, the mistress. In repose, Catherine discovered the strength of her own hand ... A year after the marriage, relations between the royal couple had settled down most amicably, thanks to Catherine's tact and restraint. Once she had actually supped in Barbara's apartments, the crisis was over ... Soon Charles was praising her [Katharina von Braganzas] 'simplicity, gentleness and prudence' to Catherina's mother [Luisa de Guzmán] ..." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., pp. 210-212).
Wie Frauen im 17. Jahrhundert, was ihr Alter betraf, betrachtet wurden: "At the prime at twenty, decayed at four and twenty, old and unsupportable at thirty." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 286).
"Barbara was asked to remove herself from her convenient Whitehall apartments [in 1670, when she was 30!!!]. It was true that in [am 3.] August 1670 she was created Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Southampton and Baroness Nonsuch; all this was however in the nature of a golden handshake [her era was over]. ... Barbara's own version of the King's dismissal of her ... The King said, 'Madam, all that I ask of you for your own sake is, live so for the future as to make the least noise you can, and I care not who you love.' Two years later Charles pointedly refused to acknowledge Barbara's sixth child, a daughter [Barbara (1672-1737)]. The baby began life as Barbara Fitzroy, the surname by her five quasi-royal brothers and sisters. Then she was consigned the simpler patronymic of Barbara Palmer, a name to which, like her mother, she brought some colour; for she entered a convent and then left it to bear an illegitimate child." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 286).
Barbara Villiers hatte insgesamt sechs Kinder. Die ersten fünf von diesen waren vom König Karl II. Stuart. Bei dem sechsten war sich der König nicht sicher, aber es wurde ebenfalls als sein Kind anerkannt. Wie es zwischen ihr und dem König um 1670 stand, lesen wir hier: "Charles had been paying her decreasing attention for some years and when Louise [de Keroualle] arrived she was more or less in her final eclipse. Though still in her twenties she was losing her attractions, and Charles would no longer put up with her rages and her greed. Her behaviour was becoming intolerable: she would appear at the theatre wearing jewels worth £30,000 and at night lose as much at the gaming tables. When he gave her the great Tudor palace of Nonsuch she promptly proceeded to dismantle it and sell the contents. None of this did Charles's popularity any good, for the extravagance of his mistresses was, as ever, a source of complaint among his subjects. Yet Charles did not altogether desert her. He created her Duchess of Cleveland and acknowledged her latest daughter [Barbara (1672-1737)] as his own. She was taking other lovers and it was widely believed that the real father was young John Churchill, who was to win renown as the country's greatest soldier in a later reign." (in: Christopher Falkus: The Life and Times of Charles II, id., p. 144).
"Duchess Barbara's later career was not so happy. Having lost her youthful bloom, she did not lose her rapacity ... Nor indeed did Barbara lose her equally demanding sensuality. Quite possibly she owed her latest daughter to the attentions of her young lover John Churchill, the future warrior Duke of Marlborough. In 1676, after the Test Act [man musste nun nachweisen, dass man anglikanisch war, sonst verlor man sein Amt am königlichen Hof] had forced this Catholic Magdalen to renounce her position as Lady of the Bedchamber, she flounced off to Paris. She returned three years later [aber in der Geschichte von Karl I. Stuart spielt sie keine Rolle mehr]." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., pp. 286-287).
"... at the age of sixty-five she [Barbara Villiers] married a much younger man, a notorious rake known as Beau Fielding, who treated her abominably; what was more, the marriage itself proved to be bigamous." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 462).
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