Essex, 2nd Earl of (Robert Devereux)

b. 1566; d. 1601

Essex's father died when he was 10. In 1586 he was part of the force, commanded by his stepfather the Earl of Leicester, which Elizabeth sent to the Netherlands to help the Dutch rebels who were fighting against their Spanish rulers and was knighted for gallantry after the disastrous siege of Zutphen.

He was handsome, gallant, courageous and was blessed with great personal charm. In 1587 Elizabeth I made him master of the horse and thereafter he steadily rose in her affections. In 1596 he mounted a successful capture of Cadiz which confirmed him in his position as her unchallenged court favourite. But this position was not enough for Essex - he coveted real political power and he asked the queen for advancement in the form of political office on numerous occasions. He was impatient of the romantic facade which had to be maintained in his relationship with Elizabeth. The Queen obviously recognised him for what he was, a gallant, brave but somewhat flashy courtier who was not capable of holding high political office, and she refused him every request in this regard. This inevitably led to frustration and Essex was indiscreet enough to pour out his feelings in a letter to the Lord Keeper which has survived. 'Cannot princes err? ... Is an earthly power or authority infinite? Pardon me! ... I can never subscribe to these principles.'

In 1599 Essex asked to be allowed to serve in Ireland. He was given the task of dealing with the rebellion led by the Earl of Tyrone but instead of a militarily decisive campaign, which is obviously what Elizabeth had in mind, Essex negotiated with Tyrone and then made the unpardonable error of expressly disobeying his orders and returning to England.

In disgrace, Essex threw caution to the wind and determined to mount a challenge to Elizabeth in the form of coup. Swift action by the queen and her advisers averted a serious situation, the insurrection failed and Essex was executed on 25th February 1601.

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Essex, Execution of