He was educated at Cambridge.
His widowed mother married Robert Dudley, a leading nobleman, who brought
Essex to the royal court, and in 1586 took him on a campaign in the Netherlands.
Having served in the low countries, he was knighted at the age of twenty by queen Elizabeth I
who had fallen for his youthful charms. She was enchanted by his wild
and dashing character and his flaring-eyed, handsome looks. His charm won him Queen Elizabeth's favour, and his
courage in battle led to rapid promotion and eventually the earldom of Essex.
Devereux's London residence was the eponymous Essex House which stood
on the sight of present-day Devereux Court. On the façade of the
Devereux Hotel at No 20 one can see a bust of this Herefordian.
The following year the monarch made him Master of the Horse, and later
on knight of the Order of the Garter.
Unfortunately his brilliance was accompanied by rashness and he fell into disgrace several times, the first when he married the widow of Sir Philip Sidney.
She gave him a series of martial leaderships, unfortunately his good
looks and charm far exceded his talents as a warrior, and each mission
grew more and more unsuccessful. Rouen in 1591, Cadiz (1596), the
Azores in 1597 when they tried to attack a Spanish treasure fleet, were all
failed operations.
The worst of all came in 1600 when as Lord Lieutenant
Essex squandered the best-equipped army sent to Ireland. Having signed
a truce with the Irish rebel leader, Tyrone, he deserted his poor army, returned
to court and broke into the queen's bedchamber at Nonsuch Palace, where, in an unreasoned outburst
accused his rivals Walter Raleigh and Robert Cecil of treacherously being paid
by Spain by ruin England.
Elizabeth responded to such folly and shameless intrusion by placing Essex under
house arrest, though he was released at the end of the year.
Devereux's long-time, extravant lifestyle had far surpased his income.To
make matters worse Elizabeth then cut off his income. His
financial ruin coupled with his suspicious state of mind induced by military
failures seemed to convince him that other rivals had it in for him
and who
Gathering
several hundred swordsmen, would-be heroes, who had fought along side him
on his military expeditions
resented the fact that Elizabeth had not rewarded them as much as they felt that
she ought to have done
, on February 8th 1601 he attempted a
coup-de-etat.
This may well have worked had he led his men out of Essex House and left towards
the Palace of Whitehall where Elizabeth was. However, instead he turned right
towards the city of London hoping to raise more supporters amongst the masses
who flocked to St Paul's for the Sunday sermon. Unfortunately for him his gamble
failed and it gave the queen's own forces time to muster.
Realizing that they would have to fight, most of his men abandonned him, and
his remaining supporters were routed by Elizabeth's faithful retainers at the bottom
of Ludgate Hill.
Arrested, Devereux was held for the first night at Lambeth Palace as it was too dangerous to 'shoot' London Bridge after dark. Tried for treason at York House on the Strand and condemned at Westminster Hall. Elizabeth granted him the privilege of execution on Tower Green rather than Tower Hill. He was buried in St Peter ad Vincula along with other noble bones
Some have argued that the real gripe that the queen had against the earl was not so much his attempted rebellion but the fact that he had rudely burst in on her chamber. Here he saw the aging monarch in her dishabille without her wig or make-up. Piqued at such an indignity her feelings of love turned to hatred and she would later show no mercy.