Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex

Robert Devereux
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, after Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
Born	10 November 1565 Netherwood near Bromyard, Herefordshire, England
Died	25 February 1601(1601-02-25) (aged 35) Tower of London, Liberties of the Tower
Cause of death	Decapitation
Resting place	Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, London
Title	Earl of Essex
Tenure	1576–1601
Known for	Favourite of Elizabeth I
Nationality	English
Residence	Essex House, London
Wars and battles	Dutch revolt Spanish Armada English Armada Capture of Cadiz Azores expedition, 1597 Irish Nine Years' War
Offices	Master of the Horse Privy Councillor Earl Marshal Master-General of the Ordnance Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Predecessor	Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
Successor	Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Spouse(s)	Frances Walsingham Elizabeth Southwell (mistress)
Issue	Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex Lady Dorothy Devereux Frances Seymour, Duchess of Somerset Sir Walter Devereux (illegitimate)
Parents	Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex Lettice Knollys

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG, PC (/ˈdɛvəˌruː/; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of 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 and was executed for treason.

Essex was born on 10 November 1565 at Netherwood near Bromyard, in Herefordshire, 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. His father died in 1576, and the new Earl of Essex became a ward of Lord Burghley. In 1577, he was admitted as a fellow-commoner at Trinity College, Cambridge; in 1579, he matriculated; and in 1581 he graduated as Master of Arts.