They say that the people most likely to betray you are the ones closest to you. This was the case for Queen Elizabeth I in 1601, when her once favourite companion Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex staged a pathetic rebellion that fell apart even before it could even gather momentum. But what forced his hand to betray the Queen who once admired him so much? Let's find out!
Essex Rebellion 1601
The tale of the Essex Rebellion is that of the fall from grace of Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. Devereux was a charming man who had found himself to be Queen Elizabeth I's favourite.
Favourite
A favourite is a person who enjoys the companionship of a monarch. A favourite in many ways had substantial political power by being the closest person to a monarch.
Devereux was truly a tragic character in the books of English history as his motivations were largely misunderstood. Today it is known that it was specifically due to Devereux's rivalry with Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury at the royal court, and Devereux's ambitions to influence Elizabeth I fell on deaf ears. Though it is called a rebellion, it was in reality an extremely short-lived uproar instigated by Devereux that ended with his downfall and beheading at the Tower of London.
The last beheading at the Tower of London?
Just so you know, the last person to have been beheaded at the Tower of London was Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex.
Fig. 1: Queen Elizabeth I
Essex Rebellion Causes
The cause of the Essex rebellion was a sort of chain reaction. Before the rebellion, a series of events took place that eventually led to the fall from grace of the Earl of Essex.
Essex had been one of Elizabeth's closest companions and a sort of a confidant. This close relationship can be seen in 1593, when Elizabeth appointed Essex to her Privy Council.
What was the Privy Council?
A Privy Council is an advisory body that advises the monarch. Privy means "private" and/or "secret", so one must keep in mind that Privy Councillors were often the closest and most trusted advisors to early modern English monarchs.
As one of her closest companions, Essex was sent to command English expeditions in battle against the Spanish at Cadiz, a coastal city in southern Spain that he successfully captured. The battle took place in 1596, and Essex returned home a hero only two weeks after being sent there.
However, things in the royal court were not as Essex had left them. Upon his return, he found out that his rival at court, Robert Cecil was made Secretary of State. Though Essex desperately tried to urge Queen Elizabeth to choose courtiers that would benefit him in the long run, this plan failed and made Essex look weak.
The more you know...
Though Essex was a favourite, Cecil too was looked upon very favourably by the Queen. This competition between Essex and Cecil was prevalent throughout Essex's later years. Both men tried to gain the Queen's deep trust, Essex, however, was the more vocal and expressive of the two.
Fig. 2: Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex
In 1599, Essex was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. This position came with a rather heavy responsibility, to subdue a rebellion in Ireland headed by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, who led a united coalition of Irish clans. Sources either indicate that Essex fought a series of inconclusive battles, or that his armies were not large enough to challenge Tyrone. Either way, Essex made peace with Tyrone, a move that officially plunged Essex into political oblivion.
What made the Earl of Tyrone a challenging task to deal with?
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone was not just another military commander. His greatest achievement was uniting the Irish clans against the Tudors' invasion of Ireland during the Nine Years' War. In addition, the Nine Years' War is also called Tyrone's Rebellion, which says a lot about Hugh O'Neill's importance to both Irish and English histories.
Though ultimately defeated, Tyrone's efforts, by uniting and leading a coalition of Irish clans, are seen as one of the most dangerous threats ever endured by the English monarchy in Ireland (especially the Tudor dynasty). The Nine Years' War ended in 1603, shortly after the death of Elizabeth.
By making peace with Tyrone, Essex was seen in the royal court as a traitor who had decided to work with the enemy. Despite such humiliation for England, Queen Elizabeth ordered Essex to remain in Ireland and not return to England until instructed otherwise. Despite writing letters to the Queen and hoping his rapport with the monarch would grant him some form of immunity, Essex disregarded the Queen's orders and returned to England. Due to this, he was tried and found guilty of disobeying the Queen's orders by leaving his post in Ireland. He was subsequently placed under house arrest in 1600.
Did Essex burst into the Queen's chambers?
It has been said that what infuriated the Queen, even more, was the fact that upon returning to London, Essex made his way to the royal palace and burst into the Queen's chambers while she was still in her nightgown. Though the source of this information is disputed.
As a result of total political and financial ruin, Essex began crafting a plan to take back the authority which he believed had been robbed from him. He would do it by staging a rebellion.
Earl of Essex Rebellion
To stage a rebellion, Essex needed men. In 1601, during his house arrest, he was successful in gathering about 300 men who included soldiers as well as nobles such as the Duke of Southampton. However, rumours found themselves slipping out of the planned rebellion. The rumours eventually made it to the Queen's Privy Council and they began to act.
The council was clear, they would be merciful to everyone who deserted Essex. Though many liked Essex and were quite impressed with his campaign in Spain, they liked to stay alive even more. Essex was ultimately deserted and left alone.
The more you know...
The way Essex's forces deserted him was quite simple, the privy council which included Essex's rival Robert Cecil denounced Essex as a traitor. Most of his 300 men did not want to serve the whims of a "traitor" who looked set to fail.
Fig. 3: Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury
Essex planned to overthrow the Queen and dissolve the privy council. He failed in both. Deserted by his men, Essex surrendered, thinking that his relationship with the Queen would save him. But this was not the case. Essex was tried, found guilty of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London and beheaded. This was the end of the Earl of Essex, a charismatic man with a false sense of arrogance. Despite his wrongdoings, Queen Elizabeth was deeply saddened by the necessity to execute her once favourite companion.
Impact and Importance of Essex rebellion
Despite its failure and general shortness of the event, the Essex Rebellion of 1601 is important to recognise as an event that demonstrated the ageing Elizabeth's fading grip on her political councillors and companions. This episode serves as an example of how royal favourites could be blinded by arrogance, pride, and their own ambitions.
Essex Rebellion - Key takeaways
- The Essex Rebellion was instigated by Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
- Essex had been Queen Elizabeth's favourite.
- Essex was sent to defeat Spain and did so at the Battle of Cadiz.
- After his. return to England he was sent to quell Tyrone's Rebellion in Ireland. He failed.
- Returning to England he was put under house arrest and lost almost all of his prestige.
- Essex believed that the only way to restore his honour was through overthrowing the Queen. Essex's attempt ended in failure and with his execution by beheading.
References
- Fig. 1: Queen Elizabeth I by George Gower (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Elizabeth_I_by_George_Gower.jpg). Author unknown, licenced as public domain
- Fig. 2: Robert devereux l (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_devereux_l.jpg) by Studio of Gheeraerts, licenced as public domain
- Fig. 3: Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury by John De Critz the Elder (2) (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Cecil,_1st_Earl_of_Salisbury_by_John_De_Critz_the_Elder_(2).jpg) by National Portrait Gallery, licenced as public domain
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