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59-470: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1565–1601), was the main leader of Essex's Rebellion in 1601. The main tensions that led to the rebellion began in 1599, when Essex was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland . He was sent to Ireland with the mission of subduing the revolts led by the Earl of Tyrone , leading one of the largest expeditionary forces ever sent to the country. It was expected that Essex would crush

118-439: A collection of songs edited by Robert Dowland . There have been many portrayals of Essex throughout the years: The best known biographical work about Robert Devereux is Lytton Strachey 's masterpiece Elizabeth and Essex . At least two fencing treatises are dedicated to Robert, Earl of Essex. They are as follows: Robert Devereux's death and confession became the subject of two popular 17th-century broadside ballads , set to

177-470: 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 William Knollys, was called and admitted there had once been read in Cecil's presence a book treating such matters. The book may have been either The book of succession supposedly by R. Doleman but probably by Robert Persons or Persons' A Conference about

236-570: A few landings, the Spanish withdrew. Essex's greatest failure was as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , a post which he talked himself into in 1599. The Nine Years' War (1595–1603) was in its middle stages, and no English commander had been successful. More military force was required to defeat the Irish chieftains, led by Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone , and supplied from Spain and Scotland. Essex led

295-516: 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, with Walter Raleigh as his second-in-command, he defied the queen's orders, pursuing the Spanish treasure fleet without first defeating the Spanish battle fleet. When the 3rd Spanish Armada first appeared off

354-548: A free college election in 1595. Assheton was Thomas Gataker 's tutor at St John's, and with Henry Alvey was an important influence on him. Assheton, Gataker and William Bedell used to go out preaching around the Cambridge area. At the time of the Essex trial Assheton was Junior Dean of the college. Assheton's attendance was one of the conditions of Essex's surrender. But Assheton was ill, and initially Thomas Dove went to

413-558: A great deal of the blame, although no action was taken against her. On 25 February 1601, Essex was beheaded in the confines of the Tower of London , and buried there in the Church of St Peter ad Vincula . The government was concerned about sympathy for Essex on the occasion and took care to brief the preacher at Paul's Cross (William Barlow) on how to address Essex's confession and execution. Southampton and Sir Henry Neville , however, survived

472-429: A preacher. By his persuasion, he confessed, and made himself guilty." In that 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. Essex in the end shocked many by denouncing his sister Penelope, Lady Rich as his co-conspirator: the queen, who was determined to show as much clemency as possible, ignored

531-481: A quarter of an hour to compile a report, which declared that his truce with O'Neill was indefensible and his flight from Ireland tantamount to the desertion of duty. He was committed to the custody of Sir Richard Berkeley in his own York House on 1 October, and he blamed Cecil and Raleigh for the queen's hostility. Raleigh advised Cecil to see to it that Essex did not recover power, and Essex appeared to heed advice to retire from public life, despite his popularity with

590-528: A series of inconclusive engagements, wasted his funds, and dispersed his army into garrisons, while the Irish won two important battles in other parts of the country. Rather than face O'Neill in battle, Essex entered a truce that some considered humiliating to the Crown and to the detriment of English authority. The queen told Essex that if she had wished to abandon Ireland it would scarcely have been necessary to send him there. In all of his campaigns, Essex secured

649-607: Is now in the British Museum . Assheton was rector of Halesworth in Suffolk , from 1606 to 1616. He was then rector of Slaidburn , Yorkshire from 1615 to 1619, and rector of Middleton, as his father had been, from 1618 to 1633. He associated with Nicholas Assheton , hunting and fishing. Assheton wrote a Latin biography of William Whitaker , first published in 1599, and in Whitaker's Opera Theologica (1610). It

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708-586: The Earl of Southampton . Hoping to avoid suspicion, Essex himself was not present. The group discussed Essex's proposals for seizing the court, the Tower and the City . Their goal was to force the Queen to change the leaders in her government, particularly Sir Robert Cecil , even if this attempt meant causing harm to the Queen's people. On 7 February, some of Essex's followers went to the Globe Theatre to ask

767-558: The Lord Chamberlain's Men to stage a special performance of Richard II with the deposition scene included. The company was hesitant to perform such a controversial play, but eventually agreed once they were promised a payment of 40 shillings (equivalent to £558 in 2023) "more than their ordinary". On the same day, the Privy Council summoned Essex to appear before them, but he refused. He had lost his chance to take

826-512: The 1605 Gunpowder Plot ) and entered the city of London in an attempt to force an audience with the queen. Cecil immediately had him proclaimed a traitor. A force under John Leveson placed a barrier across the street at Ludgate Hill . When Essex's men tried to force their way through, Essex's stepfather, Christopher Blount , was injured in the resulting skirmish, and Essex withdrew with his men to Essex House. Essex surrendered after Crown forces besieged Essex House. On 19 February 1601, Essex

885-426: The Cecil "faction". This may have made him fearful of assassination attempts and suspicious of a Cecilian policy of seeking peace with Spain. In disgrace as well as in political and financial ruin, Essex wrote several letters of submission to the Queen, and by August 1600 he was able to move freely except to return to court. He spent further time sending letters in an attempt to gain permission to do so. In November 1600,

944-572: The English folk tunes Essex Last Goodnight and Welladay . Numerous ballads lamenting his death and praising his military feats were also published throughout the 17th century. Abdias Assheton Abdias Assheton (or Ashton , first name also given as Abdy or Abdie ) (1563 – 1633) was an English clergyman. He is noted for his part in the Essex Rebellion ; at that time chaplain to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , he induced

1003-476: The English coast in October 1597, the English fleet was far out to sea, with the coast almost undefended, and panic ensued. This further damaged the relationship between the queen and Essex, even though he was initially given full command of the English fleet when he reached England a few days later. Fortunately, a storm dispersed the Spanish fleet. A number of ships were captured by the English and though there were

1062-486: The Next Succession to the Crown of England , works which favoured a Catholic successor friendly to Spain. Knollys denied hearing Cecil make the statement. Thanking God again, Cecil expressed his gratitude that Essex was exposed as a traitor while he was found an honest man. Essex was found guilty and, on 25 February 1601, was beheaded on Tower Green , the last person to be beheaded in the Tower of London . It

1121-403: The Queen refused to renew his government-granted monopoly on sweet wine, an action that placed Essex in even deeper financial difficulties. He began to create plans to seize the court by force. Essex's London residence, Essex House , became a focal point for people who were upset with Elizabeth's government. On 3 February 1601, five of the conspiracy leaders met at Drury House , the lodging of

1180-631: The Tower, to be freed upon the accession of James I. Sir Christopher Blount , Sir Gelli Meyrick , Sir Henry Cuffe , Sir John Davies, and Sir Charles Danvers all stood trial for high treason on 5 March 1601 and were all found guilty. Davies was allowed to leave, but the other four were executed. There were no large-scale executions, however; the other members of the conspiracy were simply fined. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , KG , PC ( / ˈ d ɛ v ə ˌ r uː / ; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601)

1239-494: The aborted rebellion, Essex and Southampton were tried for treason. The trial lasted only a day, and the guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion. Though Essex had burnt incriminating evidence to save his followers prior to his arrest, he was convinced by the Reverend Abdy Ashton to purge his soul of guilt: in turn Essex confessed everyone who was involved, including his sister, Penelope, Lady Rich , on whom he put

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1298-480: The basis of the dedication of "The Earl of Essex's Galliard", an instrumental version of the same song. Dowland also sets the opening verses of Essex's poem "The Passion of a Discontented Mind" ("From silent night") in his 1612 collection of songs. Orlando Gibbons set lines from the poem in the same year. Settings of Essex's poems " Change thy minde " (set by Richard Martin) and " To plead my faith " (set by Daniel Bacheler ) are published in A Musicall Banquet (1610),

1357-633: The charge. Some days before the execution, 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. Captain Lee, who had served in Ireland with the Earl, and who acted as a go-between with the Ulster rebels, was tried and put to death the next day. Essex's conviction for treason meant that

1416-507: The citizens joined him as he had expected. Essex's position was desperate, and he decided to return to Essex House. When he got there, he found the hostages gone. The Queen's men, under the Earl of Nottingham (the Lord High Admiral ), besieged the house. By that evening, after burning incriminating evidence, Essex surrendered. Essex, Southampton, and the other remaining followers were placed under arrest. Less than two weeks after

1475-521: The citizens of London to join them in their treason, and endeavoured to get the City of London into their possession and power, and wounded and killed many of the queen's subjects then and there assembled for the purpose of quelling such rebellion." Essex was charged also with holding the Lord Keeper and the other Privy Councillors in custody "for four hours and more." Part of the evidence showed that he

1534-477: The court by surprise, so he fell back on his scheme to rouse the City of London in his favour with the claim that Elizabeth's government had planned to murder him and had sold out England to Spain. Essex and his followers hastily planned the rising. At about 10   a.m. the next morning (8 February), Sir Thomas Egerton (the Lord Keeper ) and three others came to Essex in the name of the Queen. Essex seized

1593-527: The ear, prompting him to half draw his sword on her. In 1589, he took part in Francis Drake 's English Armada , which sailed to Spain in an unsuccessful attempt to press home the English advantage following the defeat of the Spanish Armada , but the queen had ordered him not to take part. The English Armada was defeated with 40 ships sunk and 15,000 men lost. In 1591, he was given command of

1652-428: The earldom was forfeit and his son did not inherit the title. However, after the queen's death, King James I of England reinstated the earldom in favour of the disinherited son, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex . There is a widely repeated romantic legend about a ring given by Elizabeth to Essex. There is a possible reference to the legend by John Webster in his 1623 play The Devil's Law Case suggesting that it

1711-500: The evidence from Essex was damning for others: Sir Christopher Blount , Henry Cuffe and Gelly Meyrick . The initial confession of 21 February is extant only in an abstract. On the morning of his execution (25 February) another abstract of a confession was signed by Assheton, William Barlow , and Thomas Montford (a royal chaplain reporting to the Queen). Essex presented Assheton with his "pocket dial" ( compass plus nocturnal ); it

1770-572: The evolution of Tudor drama), previously headmaster of Shrewsbury School within his father's household. His father died in 1576, and the new Earl of Essex became a ward of Lord Burghley of Burghley House . In 1577, he was admitted as a fellow-commoner at Trinity College, Cambridge ; in 1579, he matriculated ; and in 1581 he graduated as a Master of Arts . On 21 September 1578, Essex's mother married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester , Elizabeth I's long-standing favourite and Robert Devereux's godfather. The following year, Francis Bacon joined

1829-490: The four messengers and kept them hostage while he and his followers (about 200 people) made their way to the city. They timed their arrival to coincide with the end of the sermon at Paul's Cross , because they expected the Lord Mayor to be there. Meanwhile, Cecil sent a warning to the Lord Mayor and the heralds, denouncing Essex as a traitor. Once the word "traitor" was used, many of Essex's followers disappeared, and none of

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1888-645: The friendship circle comprising Robert, Sir Fulke Greville and Sir Phillip Sidney, Mary Sidney, by then Countess of Pembroke , and Robert's sister Penelope who inspired the "Stella" of Phillip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella sonnet sequence. Essex performed military service under his stepfather in the Netherlands , 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 , by whom he had several children, three of whom survived into adulthood. Elizabeth

1947-460: The imprisoned Essex to make a full confession. He was the son of John Assheton, rector of Middleton in Lancashire . He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge , becoming a Fellow in 1590 and being ordained in 1591. There he was in a group of young Puritans including Robert Hill and William Crashawe . With John Allenson he signed articles against Peter Baro , and petitioned for

2006-589: The largest expeditionary force ever sent to Ireland —16,000 troops —with orders to put an end to the rebellion. He departed London to the cheers of the queen's subjects, and it was expected the rebellion would be crushed instantly, but the limits of Crown resources and of the Irish campaigning season dictated otherwise. Essex had declared to the Privy Council that he would confront O'Neill in Ulster . Instead, he led his army into southern Ireland, where he fought

2065-467: The loyalty of his officers by conferring knighthoods, an honour the queen dispensed sparingly, and by the end of his time in Ireland more than half the knights in England owed their rank to him. The rebels were said to have joked that, "he never drew sword but to make knights", but his practice of conferring knighthoods could in time enable Essex to challenge the powerful factions at Cecil's command. He

2124-515: The mythical Atlas. During his disgrace, he also wrote several bitter and pessimistic verses. His longest poem, " The Passion of a Discontented Mind " (beginning "From silent night..."), is a penitential lament, probably written while imprisoned awaiting execution. Several of Essex's poems were set to music. English composer John Dowland set a poem called " Can she excuse my wrongs with virtue's cloak ?" in his 1597 publication First Booke of Songs : these lyrics have been attributed to Essex, largely on

2183-401: The prisoners. It was only after the trial, when Dove had failed to obtain a confession from Essex, that Assheton came. Essex made a written confession under the guidance of Assheton, whose motivations were questioned by contemporaries who thought him a "hireling" (a view contradicted later by James Spedding and subsequent scholars). Assheton may have been concerned only with Essex's soul, but

2242-465: The public. 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 help the Scots king capture the English throne came to nothing. In October, Mountjoy was appointed to replace him in Ireland, and matters seemed to look up for the Earl. In November, the queen was reported to have said that

2301-410: The queen by attempting to gain power and underestimating her ability to rule and wield power. Essex did underestimate the queen, however, and his later behaviour towards her lacked due respect and showed disdain for the influence of her principal secretary, Robert Cecil . On one occasion during a heated Privy Council debate on the problems in Ireland, the queen reportedly cuffed an insolent Essex round

2360-532: The queen, who relished his lively mind and eloquence, as well as his skills as a showman and in courtly love. In June 1587 he replaced the Earl of Leicester as Master of the Horse . After Leicester's death in 1588, the queen transferred the late Earl's royal monopoly on sweet wines to Essex, providing him with revenue from taxes. In 1593, he was made a member of her Privy Council . It is reported that his friend and confidant Francis Bacon warned him to avoid offending

2419-459: The rebellion immediately, but he fought a series of inconclusive battles, squandered his funds, and was unable to face the Irish in any sort of engagement. Given these difficulties, Essex eventually made a truce with Tyrone. This truce was seen as a disgrace to England and a challenge to the authority of those in power. He proceeded to leave Ireland and returned to England. His time spent as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland proved disastrous to him; his return

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2478-402: The ring in question and prevents her sending it, and (b) is the ultimate reason for Queen Elizabeth withdrawing her support for Essex at his trial. The actual question of Devereux's genuine guilt or innocence is sidelined (as is his actual failed rebellion), and the trial is presented as effectively a Parliamentary witch-hunt led by Cecil and Raleigh. Like many other Elizabethan aristocrats Essex

2537-584: The ring to Elizabeth via the Countess of Nottingham , but the countess kept the ring because her husband was an enemy of Essex. As a result, Essex was executed. On her deathbed, the countess is said to have confessed this to Elizabeth, who angrily replied: "May God forgive you, Madam, but I never can". The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries in Westminster Abbey possess a gold ring which is claimed to be this one. Some historians consider this story of

2596-413: The ring to be a myth, partly because there are no contemporaneous accounts of it. John Lingard in his history of England says the story appears to be fiction. Lytton Strachey states "Such a narrative is appropriate enough to the place where it was first fully elaborated—a sentimental novelette, but it does not belong to history", and Alison Weir calls it a fabrication. Nevertheless, this version of

2655-477: The son of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex , and Lettice Knollys . His maternal great-grandmother Mary Boleyn was a sister of Anne Boleyn , the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, making him a first-cousin-twice-removed of the queen. He was brought up on his father's estates at Chartley Castle , Staffordshire, and at Lamphey , Pembrokeshire , in Wales . He was educated by Thomas Ashton (an influential figure in

2714-437: The story forms the basis of the plot of Gaetano Donizetti 's opera Roberto Devereux , with a further twist added to the story, in that Essex is cheating on both the queen and his best friend by having an affair with Lady Nottingham (who in the opera is given the wrong first name of Sarah rather than Catherine): and that this turns out to be (a) the reason why Lord Nottingham turns against his now former friend, when he discovers

2773-501: The truce with O'Neill was "so seasonably made... as great good... has grown by it." Others in the council were willing to justify Essex's return from Ireland, on the grounds of the urgent necessity of a briefing by the commander-in-chief. Cecil kept up the pressure and, on 5 June 1600, Essex was tried before a commission of 18 men. He had to hear the charges and evidence on his knees. Essex was convicted, deprived of public office, and returned to virtual confinement. In August, his freedom

2832-477: Was a competent lyric poet, who also participated in court entertainments. He engaged in literary as well as political feuds with his principal enemies, including Walter Raleigh. His poem " Muses no more but mazes " attacks Raleigh's influence over the queen. Other lyrics were written for masques, including the sonnet " Seated between the old world and the new " in praise of the queen as the moral power linking Europe and America, who supports "the world oppressed" like

2891-452: Was against the marriage. Sidney, who was Leicester's nephew, had died from an infected gun wound in 1586, 31 days after his participation in the Battle of Zutphen in which Essex had distinguished himself. In October 1591, Essex's mistress, Elizabeth Southwell , gave birth to their son Walter Devereux (died 1641) . Devereux first came to court in 1584, and by 1587 had become a favourite of

2950-551: Was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I . Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599. In 1601, he led an abortive coup d'état against the government of Elizabeth I and was executed for treason . Devereux was born on 10 November 1565 at Netherwood near Bromyard , in Herefordshire ,

3009-481: 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." In early 1601, he began to fortify Essex House , his town mansion on the Strand , and gathered his followers. On the morning of 8 February, he marched out of Essex House with a party of nobles and gentlemen (some later involved in

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3068-505: Was in express defiance of the orders of the Queen. She spoke out on his behaviour, calling it "perilous and contemptable". Essex was deprived of his offices in June 1600 and promptly placed under house arrest. His ambition had been to direct an anti- Habsburg foreign policy for England while covertly facilitating the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne. Essex's loss of position at court fuelled his sense of grievance towards

3127-494: Was in favour of toleration of religious dissent. 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

3186-414: Was known at this time, but the first printed version of it is in the 1695 romantic novel The Secret History of the most renowned Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex, by a Person of Quality . The version given by David Hume in his History of England says that Elizabeth had given Essex a ring after the expedition to Cádiz that he should send to her if he was in trouble. After his trial, he tried to send

3245-489: Was later used by Thomas Gataker. Assheton also left a History of France and commonplace book in manuscript. Assheton left money to St John's College, to buy books. The approximately 100 books purchased with the fund remain in the library today. These books were mostly sixteenth-century theological works and included a number of works in Hebrew. Among many other bequests, the unmarried Assheton left Essex's pocket dial to

3304-467: Was properly wigged or gowned. On that day, the Privy Council met three times, and it seemed his disobedience might go unpunished, but 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 29 September, when he was compelled to stand before the council during a five-hour interrogation. The Council—his uncle William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury included—took

3363-457: Was reported to have taken three strokes by the executioner Thomas Derrick to complete the beheading. Previously Thomas Derrick had been convicted of rape but had been pardoned by the Earl of Essex (clearing him of the death penalty) on the condition that he become an executioner at Tyburn . At Sir Walter Raleigh 's own execution on 29 October 1618, it was alleged that Raleigh had said to a co-conspirator, "Do not, as my Lord Essex did, take heed of

3422-506: Was the second Chancellor of the University of Dublin , serving from 1598 to 1601. He was educated at Trinity College Dublin . Relying on his general warrant to return to England, given under the great seal, Essex sailed from Ireland on 24 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

3481-555: Was tried before his peers on charges of treason. Laura Hanes Cadwallader summarised the indictment: The indictment charged Essex with "conspiring and imagining at London...to depose and slay the queen, and to subvert the Government." It also stated that Essex had "endeavoured to raise himself to the Crown of England, and usurp the royal dignity," and that in order to fulfill these intentions, he and others "rose and assembled themselves in open rebellion, and moved and persuaded many of

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