In 1587 Elizabeth I made Robert Deveraux the Earl of Essex, Master of the Horse, six years later in 1593 she made him a Privy Councillor. That year he led a successful attack on the Spanish port of Cadiz. Three years later he returned home a hero.
Deveraux was intelligent and charming and he thought by flattering the aging queen he could get away with anything, the events of this day in 1601 would prove him wrong.
Deveraux was intelligent and charming and he thought by flattering the aging queen he could get away with anything, the events of this day in 1601 would prove him wrong.
Deveraux by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
While Deveraux was away changes within Elizabeth's court affected his standing, his major problem was the promotion of Robert Cecil who Deveraux regarded as an enemy, in fact, Robert Deveraux was his own worst enemy - for making peace in Ireland against the order of the queen he was banned from court and thus financially ruined, was this the reason behind his rebellion?
On the morning of the 8th February in 1601, Deveraux and his followers, notably the Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton, made their way through the city of London in, it is thought, to plead with the queen, Robert Cecil however thought otherwise and sent a message to the London's mayor. Deveraux was publicly denounced as a traitor and eventually captured, he would be tried for treason before the month was out.
So, was Robert Devereaux a real threat to the monarchy? Was the queen in real danger and what really motivated William Cecil to see off the Earl of Essex?
So, was Robert Devereaux a real threat to the monarchy? Was the queen in real danger and what really motivated William Cecil to see off the Earl of Essex?
This rebellion is nicely played out in the 2011 film Anonymous, and here you can see Robert Deveraux (Sam Reed) persuading Henry Wriothesley (Xavier Samuel) that the plot couldn't fail!
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