Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was an English nobleman and army officer who was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I.
Portrait after Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, c. 1596
Essex's godfather and stepfather, the 1st Earl of Leicester, backed him at court.
Essex was a royal favourite of Elizabeth I, Queen of England.
Melancholy youth representing the Earl of Essex, c.1588, miniature by Nicholas Hilliard
Lettice Knollys
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Lettice Knollys was an English noblewoman and mother to the courtiers Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Penelope, Lady Rich. She was Countess of Essex during her first marriage to Walter Devereu
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
…dramatists. Robert Devereux was born on 10 November 1565 at Netherwood in Herefordshire, the eldest son of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, and his wife Lettice Knollys. From birth, the young Robert Devereux had a strong association with Queen Elizabeth I. Lettice was a cousin and close friend of Elizabeth and served…
Lettice Knollys as Countess of Leicester, c. 1585 by George Gower
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, Lettice Knollys' first husband in 1572, aged 32
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, 1575, aged about 43
Dorothy and Penelope Devereux, the daughters of Lettice Knollys, c. 1580