Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, 1st Earl of Montgomery KG (16 October 1584 – 23 January 1649) was an English courtier and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I. Philip Herbert and his older brother William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke were the 'incomparable pair of brethren' to whom the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected works was dedicated in 1623. Born at Wilton House, he was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and his second wife, Mary Sidney, sister of Sir Philip Sidney the poet, after whom he was named. In 1593, at age 9, Philip was sent to study at New College, Oxford, but left after a few months. In 1600, the 16-year-old Philip made his first appearance at James I's court, and soon caught the king's eye. Many historians believe that James I was a homosexual, and he certainly lavished both power and wealth on a series of favourites. According to both Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and John Aubrey, Philip's major interests at this time were hunting and hawking and it was in this capacity that he first attracted the king's attention. In May 1603, James made Philip a gentleman of the privy chamber; and made him a Knight of the Bath in July of that year. In 1604, at James I's enthusiastic urging (he played a prominent role in the ceremony and provided generous financial gifts for the bride), Philip married Susan de Vere, daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. James continued bestowing favours throughout 1605, first making Philip a gentleman of the bedchamber and then creating him Baron Herbert of Shurland and Earl of Montgomery. In addition, James had Montgomery created MA during a visit of Oxford. In addition to hunting and hawking, during this period Montgomery regularly participated in tournaments and court masques. He also took an interest in gambling and amassed considerable debts which James paid off for him in 1606/07. In 1608, James made him a Knight of the Garter; and had him appointed high steward of Oxford in 1615. When Montgomery had a prominent quarrel with Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton following a game of tennis between the two in 1610, James stepped in to effect a reconciliation. Montgomery had a second violent quarrel, this time with Lord Howard de Walden, in 1617. Montgomery took a keen interest in English colonial ventures, which were just taking off at this time, and was involved with several joint stock companies: he became a member of the council of the Virginia Company in 1612; was one of the original incorporators of the Northwest Passage Company in 1612; and became a member of the Honourable East India Company in 1614. Honours continued throughout the remainder of James' reign, with Montgomery being made keeper of the Palace of Westminster and St James's Park in 1617; Lord Lieutenant of Kent in 1624; and finally, in December 1624, a member of the privy council. Following Charles I's accession to the throne in 1625, Montgomery continued to receive royal favour. He was appointed to the embassy which accompanied Henrietta Maria from Paris to England and went on to hold the spurs at Charles' coronation in 1626, before succeeding his older brother as Lord Chamberlain. He was made Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 1628. (Montgomery was a friend of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, serving as godfather of Buckingham's son Lord Charles Herbert, and in 1626 agreeing to a betrothal between his 4-year-old daughter and Lord Charles Herbert.) Montgomery continued to be interested in colonial ventures under Charles I. He was an incorporator of the Guiana Company in 1626. In 1628, he received a grant of the islands of Trinidad, Tobago, and Barbados. Montgomery's first wife died in early 1629, and in 1630 he re-married, to Lady Anne Clifford, daughter of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland and widow of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset. Montgomery's older brother died in 1630, and he succeeded to the title of Earl of Pembroke, as well as several of his brother's other titles, including Lord Lieutenant of Somerset and Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. He was quickly appointed to his brother's former positions of high steward of the Duchy of Cornwall and Lord Warden of the Stannaries. Pembroke maintained a large of household of 80 at his home in London, and an even larger staff of over 150 at Wilton House, his family's ancestral seat in Wiltshire. Throughout the 1630s, Pembroke entertained Charles I at Wilton House for a hunting expedition every year. Charles encouraged Pembroke to rebuild Wilton House in the Palladian style, recommending Inigo Jones for the job (Salomon de Caus performed the work when Jones proved to be unavailable, while his brother, Isaac de Caus, designed a variety of formal and informal gardens for the property). Although Pembroke and Charles bonded over their shared interest in art and architecture, they did not see eye to eye on the question of religion. Pembroke was inclined t

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