Devereux, Robert, 2nd Earl of Essex

Person

Devereux, Robert, 2nd Earl of Essex

1565-1601

Robert Devereux was an English soldier and courtier famous for his charm and his position as royal favourite in the court of Elizabeth I. He was born on 10th November 1565 to Walter Devereux, first Earl of Essex, and Lettice Knollys. He inherited the title of Earl of Essex after his father died when he was nine. His earliest known teacher was Thomas Ashton, headmaster of Shrewsbury School, fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, and a trusted family servant. Ashton was succeeded as Devereux's 'scolemaster' by Robert Wright, who was a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Robert Devereux himself was admitted as a fellow-commoner at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1577 and in 1581 he graduated as a Master of Arts. In 1578 Essex's mother married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of Elizabeth I. Young Essex first attained military prominence by fighting bravely under his stepfather as a Governor-General against the Spanish in the Netherlands in 1586. Shortly before his death in 1588, the Earl of Leicester introduced Devereux to the Elizabethan court. Elizabeth gave him the position of Master of the Horse and he became a favourite of the queen, becoming a privy councillor in 1593. He took part in the English operation against Lisbon in 1589 and secretly married Frances Walsingham, widow of the poet Sir Philip Sidney, in 1590. They went on to have three children (Robert, Dorothy and Frances) who survived into adulthood. In 1591-2 he commanded an English force sent to assist the Protestant Henry of Navarre in France. Essex became a national hero in 1596 when he shared command of the expedition that captured Cadiz from the Spanish. The following year, he failed in an expedition to intercept the Spanish treasure fleet off the Azores. Thanks to various contacts at Cambridge, such as William Whitaker, Essex had a very high reputation at the universities and was a regular recruiter of promising students and dons. In 1598 he was chosen to replace Lord Burghley as chancellor of Cambridge University. In 1599, at his own request, Essex was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and sent to put down a rebellion by the earl of Tyrone. After an unsuccessful campaign Essex concluded an unauthorised truce with Tyrone and then returned to England to try and explain his conduct to the queen. She deprived him of his offices and placed him under house arrest in 1600. Politically and financially ruined, Essex attempted, with 200-300 followers, to raise the people of London in revolt against the government in 1601. The poorly planned attempt failed, and Essex surrendered. He was executed at the Tower of London on 25th February 1601 after being found guilty of treason.

Paul E. J. Hammer, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2008): https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-7565?rskey=3ny3T3&result=4