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Is Mary & George based on a true story?

When you first look at a show set in the past, you want to know if it's based on truth. That's especially the case with a show like Mary & George.

By Alexandria Ingham

Mary & George is inspired by the unbelievable true story of Mary Villiers, who moulded her beautiful and charismatic son, George, to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England and become his all-powerful lover. Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors. And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion
Mary & George is inspired by the unbelievable true story of Mary Villiers, who moulded her beautiful and charismatic son, George, to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England and become his all-powerful lover. Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors. And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion /
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Just how much do you know about English history? How much do you know about King James I? There are some things that the new STARZ series Mary & George will teach you.

Yes, this new limited series is based on fact. At least, some fact. There is sure to be some dramatization of the events, and there are, of course, some conversations that are made up because we just don’t know what was said behind closed doors. However, the events of seduction and a climb in power are all based on real events that happened.

It’s time to learn all about how George Villiers seduced King James I of England. You can read about it first if you want.

Mary & George is based on a nonfiction book

Not only is the series based on true events, but it is based on a nonfiction book. You’ll want to turn to Benjamin Wooley’s book The King’s Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and King James I.

George Villiers was a charismatic man. He started as a minor gentry, but quickly rose through the ranks to eventually become a gentleman of the royal bedchamber. He was able to win the King’s heart, and he for the last 10 years of James’s life, George was by his side.

This TV series gives us a look at how that happened. Of course, behind everyone looking for power in Court is a family looking for even more power; a family willing to use someone as a pawn. We can look at how Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour’s families used them to gain power with Henry VIII. Well, for George Villiers, it was all about his mother, Mary.

The book itself goes into how George ended up being the man to kill King James I, whether accidental or on purpose. Mary & George is set to look at the rise of George in the King’s heart, but will it also cover what could have happened at the end? That’s what you’ll want to see the series to find out.

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Mary & George premieres on STARZ on Friday, April 5.

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