The Marquess of Queensberry: Wilde's Nemesis

History remembers the ninth Marquess of Queensberry as a mad crank and Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) as a martyr. Popular historian and mystery author Stratmann ("Frances Doughty Mysteries") sets out to restore the reputation of the Scottish peer and sportsman, known as "Q," who played a role in creating the rules that tamed boxing. Embittered by a miserable marriage, John Sholto Douglas (1844–1900) became a public crusader against Christianity and marriage. When Wilde took up with Douglas's son Alfred ("Bosie"), two men who believed the conventions of society did not apply to them confronted each other. Wilde, at the height of his career as a playwright, the toast of the West End, recklessly sued the father for describing him as "posing as a somdomite [sic]." The proceedings led to Wilde's sentence to hard labor for "gross indecency." Neither man recovered from the scandal.