Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, is viewed in history as an 'archetypal, shadowy, creepy man' who 'operated quietly, but dangerously in the shadows.' Born on the 1st June in 1563, he was physically frail and small in stature with a curvature of the spine, and despite the pain he must have endured, he devoted himself to the service of the crown following in the footsteps of his father. He entered parliament in 1534, and very quickly established himself, but was not as popular.
Robert Cecil was the son of Elizabeth I's chief minister Lord Burghley, he was a courtier, a successful politician, and an administrator who took over his father's role in government when he became too ill to do the job himself. In 1596, Cecil became Elizabeth's secretary and out-maneuvered her favourite Robert Devereux resulting the what history calls Essex's Rebellion, thus eliminating any rivals to his position as the queen's minister. He was also responsible for the smooth transfer of the crown to James VI of Scotland on Elizabeth's death in 1603. On the succession of James to the English throne, he temporarily lost some of his influence as James had been a supporter of Essex, but the king came to trust and rely on Cecil, eventually calling him his 'little beagle'. In 1605 Cecil quashed yet another rebellion - the infamous Gunpower Plot, although it is thought that Cecil was actually behind the plot with the aim of convincing James that he should not trust those of the Catholic persuasion.
Robert Cecil was the son of Elizabeth I's chief minister Lord Burghley, he was a courtier, a successful politician, and an administrator who took over his father's role in government when he became too ill to do the job himself. In 1596, Cecil became Elizabeth's secretary and out-maneuvered her favourite Robert Devereux resulting the what history calls Essex's Rebellion, thus eliminating any rivals to his position as the queen's minister. He was also responsible for the smooth transfer of the crown to James VI of Scotland on Elizabeth's death in 1603. On the succession of James to the English throne, he temporarily lost some of his influence as James had been a supporter of Essex, but the king came to trust and rely on Cecil, eventually calling him his 'little beagle'. In 1605 Cecil quashed yet another rebellion - the infamous Gunpower Plot, although it is thought that Cecil was actually behind the plot with the aim of convincing James that he should not trust those of the Catholic persuasion.
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury 1602. NPG 107
As well as a bit of political intrigue Cecil was a dab hand at entertaining, welcoming both Elizabeth and James to his home, he had an eye for the arts, like collecting paintings and even swapped one of his homes for one of the kings. However, the burden of work eventually wore him down and in the spring of 1612, he complained of being "in great pain and even greater wretchedness of mind" and following a trip to take the waters in the town of Bath, he died on the 24th of May in 1612 of cancer.
How sad is it then that both Elizabeth I and James I referred to Cecil in an unkind manner, Elizabeth is said to have called him her pygmy and a monkey, and James called him a beetle, and after all he had done for them too! It is highly likely that Shakespeare was referring to Robert Cecil, as the unpopular hunchback, when he was writing his play Richard III, and this is captured very well in the 2011 film Anonymous where he is portrayed as a small dark creature, underhand, and skulking.
How sad is it then that both Elizabeth I and James I referred to Cecil in an unkind manner, Elizabeth is said to have called him her pygmy and a monkey, and James called him a beetle, and after all he had done for them too! It is highly likely that Shakespeare was referring to Robert Cecil, as the unpopular hunchback, when he was writing his play Richard III, and this is captured very well in the 2011 film Anonymous where he is portrayed as a small dark creature, underhand, and skulking.
Robert Cecil is buried in St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield in Herefordshire. His tomb, seen below, deserves a blog of its own!
St. Ethelreda, Hatfield Tomb of Sir Robert Cecil, 1st. Earl of Salisbury: Credit John Myers
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