NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (10 November 1566 – 25 February 1601), favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is the best-known of the many holders of the title "Earl of Essex." He was a military hero, but following a poor campaign against Irish rebels during the Nine Years war in 1599, he defied the queen and was executed for treason. Download high resolution version (900x600, 142 KB)University of Essex Taken by me. ... Download high resolution version (900x600, 142 KB)University of Essex Taken by me. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 8 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Elizabeth I of England - revolt is quickly crushed February 25 - Robert Devereux beheaded Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China Bad harvest in Russia due to rainy summer Dutch troops drive Portuguese from MÃ¡laga Battle of Kinsale, Ireland Births... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 â€“ 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals, of which the best-known and most closely associated with the title was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566 - 1601). ... The Nine Years War (Irish: Cogadh na Naoi mBliana) in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrones Rebellion. ...

Early life

Lord Essex was born at Netherwood, Cumbria, in 1566, the son of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex and Lettice Knollys. He was brought up largely on his father's estate in Wales and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. His father died in 1576, and four years later his mother married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the long-standing favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Cumbria is a county in the North West region of England. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex (1541 - 1576), an English nobleman, was the eldest son of Sir Richard Devereux. ... Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex and Leicester The Lady Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester (?1540 - 25 December 1634) was born in Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056 Area - Total 20,779 kmÂ² (3rd in... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names Kings Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street... Events May 5 - Peace of Beaulieu or Peace of Monsieur (after Monsieur, the Duc dAnjou, brother of the King, who negotiated it). ... Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (also referred to as Lord Leycester such as at the Lord Leycester Hospital. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 â€“ 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ...

Essex performed military service under his stepfather before making an impact at court and winning the queen's favour. In 1590, he married Frances Walsingham, daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham and widow of Sir Philip Sidney. Sidney had died at the Battle of Zutphen, in which Essex too distinguished himself, and was Lord Leicester's nephew. Bold text{| align=right cellpadding=3 id=toc style=margin-left: 15px; |- | align=center colspan=2 | Years: 1587 1588 1589 - 1590 - 1591 1592 1593 |-vdsf gno[gldw[pvkijxaiamknn csogfhbvdowkhbfkqhjkhrjkhwgfhbjkpnkfokfgok3pkpk9pjhkt9erktyujkip9kijker9thhrkg9hkitr9gtkih9t0ykltk[u0jo0iey9uhyit90ertyhige9rity9riyh9ujirtyuhjnh-4e9tyigh9thiuy0h8tyh34tu8uy8u8u8u8rtu5y8ru8thu0tru0ut0rhutuh0trhu0hseogtrhr8uyhju8t89er9te9r8fy8shit ass dick bitch fuck | align=center colspan=2 | Decades: 1560s 1570s 1580s - 1590s - 1600s 1610s 1620s |- | align=center | Centuries... Frances Walsingham (1569 - February 13, 1631) was the only daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster for Queen Elizabeth I. A lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, she married Philip Sidney in 1583, although he died three years later in 1586. ... Francis Walsingham by John de Critz (detail) Sir Francis Walsingham (c. ... Philip Sidney Sir Philip Sidney (November 30, 1554 - October 17, 1586) became one of the Elizabethan Ages most prominent figures. ... Combatants Dutch rebels, English soldiers Spain Commanders ? ? Strength ? ? Casualties ? ? The battle of Zutphen was a confrontation of the Eighty Years War on September 22, 1586, in Zutphen, the Netherlands. ...

Court and military career

Essex first came to court in 1584, and by 1587 had become a favourite of the Queen, who relished his lively mind and eloquence, as well as his skills as a showman and in courtly love. In addition, she rewarded Essex with a royal monopoly on sweet wines, for which Essex would receive taxes. However, the faults in his relationship with Elizabeth would lead to his demise. He underestimated the Queen, believing himself to be her equal (owing to his descent from King Henry IV), and his later behavior towards her lacked due respect and showed disdain for the influence of her principal secretary, Sir Robert Cecil. 1584 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1587 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... // Birth and life before accession - relationship with Richard II - exile - return and usurpation Henry IV (April 3, 1367 â€“ March 20, 1413) was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry of Bolingbroke. His father, John of Gaunt was the third and oldest... ] The Right Honourable Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC (1 June 1563â€“24 May 1612), son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and half-brother of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, statesman, spymaster and minister to Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. Lord Salisbury is the...

After Leicester's death in 1588, Essex replaced the earl as Master of the Horse. In 1589, he took part in Sir Francis Drake's English Armada, which sailed to Iberia in an unsuccessful attempt to press home the English advantage following the defeat of the Spanish Armada; the Queen had ordered him not to take part in the expedition, but he only returned upon the failure to take Lisbon. In 1591, he was given command of a force sent to the assistance of King Henry IV of France. In 1596, he distinguished himself by the capture of Cádiz. During the Islands Voyage expedition to the Azores in 1597, on which Sir Walter Raleigh was his second in command, he defied the Queen's orders, pursuing the treasure fleet without first putting the Spanish royal navy out of action. 1588 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases, is) a historical position of varying importance in several European nations. ... The English Armada (a name suggested by Wes Ulm of Harvard University) was the episode in the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585â€“1604 that followed upon the defeat and dispersal of the Spanish Armada (1588). ... Events June - Capture of Zutphen by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV; December 13, 1553 â€“ May 14, 1610), was the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty in France. ... Events February 5 - 26 catholics crucified in Nagasaki, Japan. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Tacita de plata (little silver cup) Location Location within Spain Government Province CÃ¡diz Mayor TeÃ³fila MartÃnez (PP) Geographical characteristics Area City 12. ... Location Motto of the autonomous region: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Portuguese: To die free rather than to be subjugated in peace) Official language Portuguese Capitals Ponta Delgada (Presidency of the autonomous government), Angra do HeroÃsmo (Supreme Court), Horta (Legislative Assembly) Other towns Praia da VitÃ³ria... Walter Raleigh, by Nicholas Hilliard, c. ...

Ireland

The greatest failure of Essex was as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, a post which he talked himself into. In the middle stages of the Nine Years War (1595-1603), no other English commander had shown himself capable of taking on the extreme challenges that faced the crown forces in that country. Superior military resources had been required to combat the rebels, who were being supplied from Spain and Scotland and led by Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone. During the Nine Years War, Queen Elizabeth I of England was troubled by the need to appoint a new commander for a military campaign in Ireland. ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... The Nine Years War (Irish: Cogadh na Naoi mBliana) in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrones Rebellion. ... Aodh MÃ³r Ã“ NÃ©ill (anglicised as Hugh ONeill), (c. ...

Essex led the largest expeditionary force ever sent to Ireland (17,000 troops), where he was charged with putting an end to the rebellion. He departed London to the cheers of the Queen's subjects, and it was expected that the rebellion would be crushed instantly, but the constraints of crown resources and of the Irish campaigning season dictated another course. Rather than confront O'Neill in Ulster - as his intentions had been declared to the Privy Council - Essex chose to lead his men in a series of inconclusive engagements throughout the south of the country, wasting his treasure and dissipating the strength of his army into garrisons. The rebels then won several victories, and, instead of facing O'Neill in battle, Essex was compelled to enter a truce with the rebel leader that was considered humiliating to the crown and to the detriment of English authority. Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ...

In all of his campaigns, Essex secured the loyalties of his officers by conferring knighthoods, an honour which the Queen herself dispensed sparingly. By the end of his time in Ireland, more than half the knights in England owed their rank to Essex. The rebels were said to have taunted that, "he never drew sword but to make knights". But the import of his practice was to establish a party that might in time challenge the powerful faction at the command of Cecil.

He served as second Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin between 1598 and 1601. The University of Dublin, located in Dublin, Ireland, was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, making it Irelands oldest university. ... Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I. April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ... Events February 8 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Elizabeth I of England - revolt is quickly crushed February 25 - Robert Devereux beheaded Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China Bad harvest in Russia due to rainy summer Dutch troops drive Portuguese from MÃ¡laga Battle of Kinsale, Ireland Births...

Rebellion

Relying on his general warrant to return to England, given under the great seal, Essex sailed from Ireland on the 24th of September 1599, and reached London four days later. The queen had expressly forbidden his return and was surprised when he presented himself in her bedchamber one morning at Nonsuch palace, before she was properly wigged or gowned. On that day, the privy council met three times, and it seemed his disobedience might go unpunished, although the queen did confine him to his rooms with the comment that, "an unruly beast must be stopped of his provender".

Essex appeared before the full council on the 29th, when he was compelled to stand bareheaded before the table during a five hour interrogation; the council - his uncle Knollys included - took quarter of an hour to compile a report, in which it was found that his truce with Tyrone was indefensible and his flight from Ireland tantamount to a desertion of duty. He was committed to custody in his own York House on the 1st of October, and he chose to blame Cecil and Raleigh for the queen's hostility. Raleigh advised Cecil to see to it that he did not recover power, and Essex appeared to heed advice to retire from public life, although the population was thought to be with him.

During his confinement at York House, Essex probably communicated with King James VI of Scotland through Lord Mountjoy, although any plans he may have had at that time to ease the Scots king on to the English throne came to nothing. In October, Mountjoy was appointed to replace him in Ireland, but matters seemed to look up for the earl. In November, the queen was reported to have said that the truce with Tyrone was, "so seasonably made ... as great good ... has grown by it". Others in the council were willing to justify Essex's return to Ireland, on the grounds of the urgent necessity of a briefing by the commander-in-chief. James VI of Scotland/James I of England and Ireland (Charles James Stuart) (June 19, 1566 â€“ March 27, 1625) was King of Scots, King of England, and King of Ireland and was the first to style himself King of Great Britain. ... Charles Blount (pr. ...

First trial

Cecil kept up the pressure and, on the 5th of June 1600, Essex was tried before a commission of 18 men. He had to hear the charges and evidence on his knees and, upon conviction, was deprived of public office and returned to virtual confinement. In August, his freedom was granted, but the source of his basic income - the sweet wines monopoly - was not renewed. His situation had become desperate, and he shifted "from sorrow and repentance to rage and rebellion". One Sunday morning he chose to march out from York House with a party of nobles and gentlemen (some later involved in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot) and enter the city in an attempt to force an audience with the queen. Cecil immediately had him proclaimed as a traitor, and, disappointed at the lack of support amongst the people, Essex retreated from the city, surrendering once the crown had trained its cannon on his house. 1605 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... A contemporaneous sketch of the conspirators The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a failed attempt by a group of provincial English Catholics to kill King James I of England, his family, and most of the Protestant aristocracy in one attack by blowing up the Houses of Parliament during the State...

Treason, trial and death

On the 19th of February 1601, Essex was tried before his peers on charges of treason. Part of the evidence showed that he was in favour of toleration for religious freedom; in his own evidence, he countered the charge of dealing with Catholics, swearing that, "papists have been hired and suborned to witness against me". Essex also asserted that Cecil had stated that none in the world but the Infanta of Spain had right to the Crown of England, whereupon Cecil (who had been following the trial at a doorway concealed behind some tapestry) stepped out to make a dramatic denial, going down on his knees to give thanks to God for the opportunity. The witness whom Essex expected to confirm this allegation, his uncle Knollys, was called and admitted there had once been read in Cecil's presence a book treating of such matters (possibly Doleman's The book of succession, or Robert Persons' A Conference about the Next Succession to the Crown of England, in which a Catholic successor friendly to Spain was favoured), but denied he had heard Cecil make the statement. Thanking God again, Cecil expressed his gratitude that Essex stood there as a traitor while he himself was found an honest man. In the Spanish and former Portuguese monarchies, Infante (masc. ...

Essex was found guilty and, on the 25th of February 1601, was beheaded on Tower Green. At Raleigh's own treason trial in 1603, it was alleged that Raleigh had said to a co-conspirator, "Do not, as my Lord Essex did, take heed of a preacher. By his persuasion he confessed, and made himself guilty." In the same trial, Raleigh also denied that he had stood at a window during the execution of Essex's sentence, disdainfully puffing out tobacco smoke in sight of the condemned man.

Some days before execution of sentence, Captain Thomas Lee was apprehended as he kept watch on the door to the queen's chambers. His plan had been to confine her until she signed a warrant for the release of Essex. Lee, who had served in Ireland with the earl and acted as go-between with the Ulster rebels, was tried and put to death the next day. Thomas Lee (1552/3-1601) was an army captain, who served under Queen Elizabeth I and spent most of his career in Ireland during the Tudor conquest of that country. ...

Legacy

Devereux's title was inherited by his son, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex. Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, (January 11 1591 – 14 September 1646), was the son and heir of the unfortunate Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and succeeded to his fathers title in 1604, three years after the previous earl had been executed for treason. ...

Essex in performance

Opera

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 â€“ 8 April 1848) was a famous Italian opera composer. ... | Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan is one of the worlds most famous opera houses. ... Roberto Devereux is an opera by Gaetano Donizetti, first performed on October 29, 1837, at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples. ... A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... Salvatore Cammarano (March 19, 1801-July 17, 1852) was an Italian librettist and playwright known for creating Lucia di Lammermoor. ... Jacques-ArsÃ¨ne-Polycarpe-FranÃ§ois Ancelot (February 9, 1794 - 1854) was a French dramatist and litterateur. ... Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 7th Avenue, occupying the east stretch of 7th Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street. ... Montserrat CaballÃ© Maria de Montserrat Viviana ConcepciÃ³n CaballÃ© i Folc, better known as Montserrat CaballÃ© (born April 12, 1933), is a famous Spanish soprano opera singer. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (November 22, 1913 â€“ December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor, and pianist. ... Gloriana is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on historical incidents. ... Giles Lytton Strachey (March 1, 1880â€“January 21, 1932) was a British writer and critic. ...

Stage

Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC , O. Ont. ... Elizabeth Rex is a play by Timothy Findley. ...

Film and TV

1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), is a romantic drama film based on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I (played by Bette Davis) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (played by Errol Flynn). ... Bette Davis (April 5, 1908 â€“ October 6, 1989), was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress of film, television and theatre. ... Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 â€“ October 14, 1959) was an Australian film actor, most famous for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle. ... Giles Lytton Strachey (March 1, 1880â€“January 21, 1932) was a British writer and critic. ... Hugh Dancy (born 19 June 1975) is a British actor. ... Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (born September 19, 1948) is an Oscar-winning English actor. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Channel 4 is a public-service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ... Mirren with Malcolm McDowell in O Lucky Man (1973) Dame Helen Mirren, DBE (born Ilyena Lydia Mironoff on 26 July 1945) is an Emmy Award-winning English stage, television and movie actress. ... Elizabeth I was a series of 2 1 1/2 hour episodes produced by Channel 4 in 2005. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hans Matheson (born August 7, 1975 in Outer Hebrides, Scotland) is a Scottish-born actor who made his feature film debut as Johnny Silver in Jez Butterworths critically acclaimed directorial debut, Mojo. ...

Historical fiction

Susan Kay (born in 1953 in Manchester) is a writer. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 â€“ 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the...

References

Categories: 1566 births | 1601 deaths | Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge | English executions | Chancellors of the University of Cambridge | Earls Marshal | Earls in the Peerage of England | People of Elizabethan Ireland | People executed for treason | Knights of the Garter | Lords Lieutenant of Ireland | People executed by decapitation | Tudor people | People associated with Trinity College, Dublin | Chancellors of Trinity College, Dublin | Tudor rebellions Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester painted by Steven van der Meulen. ... The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases, is) a historical position of varying importance in several European nations. ... Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester (bef. ... Earl Marshal (alternatively Marschal or Marischal) is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Ireland and the United Kingdom. ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... Sir John Perrot (c. ... This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire. ... This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Staffordshire. ... The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was an important British military position before 1855, when its duties were largely abolished. ... The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. ... Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex (1541 - 1576), an English nobleman, was the eldest son of Sir Richard Devereux. ... Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals, of which the best-known and most closely associated with the title was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566 - 1601). ... Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, (January 11 1591 – 14 September 1646), was the son and heir of the unfortunate Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and succeeded to his fathers title in 1604, three years after the previous earl had been executed for treason. ...

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