Elizabeth I's Last Favourite: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex

by Sarah-Beth Watkins

Despite widespread interest in Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, little has been written about him in decades past. In Elizabeth I's Last Favourite, Sarah-Beth Watkins brings the story of his life, and death, back into the public eye. In the later years of Elizabeth I's reign, Robert Devereux became the ageing queen's last favourite. The young upstart courtier was the stepson of her most famous love, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Although he tried, throughout his life, to live up to his stepfather's memory, Essex would never be the man he was. His love for the queen ran in tandem with undercurrents of selfishness and greed. Yet, Elizabeth showered him with affection, gifts and the tolerance only a mother could have for an errant son. In return, for a time, Essex flattered her and pandered to her every whim. But, one disastrous commission after another befell the earl, from his military campaigns, to voyages seeking treasure, to his stint as spymaster. Ultimately, his relationship with the queen would suffer and his final act of rebellion would force Elizabeth I to ensure her last favourite troubled her no more.

179 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2021

About the author

Sarah-Beth Watkins is an author, editor and publisher who has written for various publications over the past 20 years. Growing up in Richmond, Surrey she began soaking up history from an early age.

She is the author of Margaret Tudor: Queen of Scots, Catherine of Braganza, The Tudor Brandons, Lady Katherine Knollys and Ireland's Suffragettes. Her next book is due out in October 2018. She is currently working on another historical biography.

Reviews

[Adrienne Dillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the extended Knollys clan, but let’s be real: Robert Devereaux was a real piece of work. He is, by far, my least favorite of Catherine Carey’s grandchildren. There is just something about him that rubs one the wrong way. It’s not surprising then that he found himself on the business end of an axe.

Author Sarah-Beth Watkins has developed a niche for herself with these straightforward, exploratory bios on the little-known people of the Tudor Court, and this latest book is no exception. I enjoyed Watkins’ streamlined prose, finding it both engaging and entertaining. Her inclusion of the primary documents – transcripts of letters between Devereaux and his royal cousin and poetry by the man – is a treat. Sometimes just reading the subject’s own words conveys so much.

Watkins does an admirable job at portraying Devereaux as sensitively as possible, but there is little to like about the man. Despite my distaste of all his antics, I still found myself enjoying the ride. I highly recommend this little gem.

[Yuling · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall enjoyable; i enjoyed learning about the earl of essex, his antics are incredibly amusing to me. that said i wish the author used commas; some of the sentences were very difficult to read because of the lack of punctuation. there was also a tendency to put large chunks of primary source text with no particular explication, but that’s mostly a problem for me since if a quote is super long i’m not going to read it in a lot of detail

[lacy white · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

A special thank you goes out to John Hunt Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

tw: physical abuse, murder, cheating, death, possible poisoning, child marriage

When I got this email to review a book on Elizabeth’s last favorite, I was intrigued. I know about Robert Dudley, her first favorite, and while I think he’s a bit of a player, I enjoyed learning about him and his relationship with the Queen. So I was especially interested to learn that she had more favorites, including Dudley’s step son.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I learned a lot about Robert Devereux. He certainly took after his stepdad, that’s for sure. He was a man child and overall, just a pretty awful person. The author made sure to really show his personality, even though this is a biography and I liked that. Sometimes, biographies can come off as impersonal and cold.

One of my requirements that I look for when I read a biography is readability. Am I able to understand what is going and what the author is going for. In this case, I’d say that I was able to understand what was going on. I did get slightly confused with all the names but that’s just because back in those times, everybody was named the same thing which is annoying.

Overall, this was a good book. I wish it had been a little longer. It was only about 180 pages or so, which seems short for a biography. But that’s not awful. Sometimes biographies get to be too long and boring. This was just long enough to keep my attention. I’m interested in some more of this author’s work as I have read one other book by her.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man who was young and had charisma would attract the attention of the Virgin Queen herself, yet that attention came with a price. The young man could not do what he desired and was buried in debt. His anger could not be quenched and he would end up rebelling against the very queen who brought him so much glory and honor. This rebellion would lead to his execution. The man’s name was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and his story is told in Sarah-Beth Watkins’ latest bite-size biography, “Elizabeth I’s Last Favourite: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex”.

I would like to thank Chronos Books for sending me a copy of this book. I had heard that Sarah-Beth Watkins was releasing this book around the same time that Tony Riches released his novel about Robert Devereux, so I thought it might be nice to read about this man through fiction and nonfiction.

The son of Walter Devereux and Lettice Knollys, Robert Devereux was destined to his father’s heir when he passed away. However, when Walter died, he left his young heir a mountain of debt. His mother would remarry, but her choice would cause her to be an enemy of the queen herself. Lettice Knollys married Elizabeth I’s most prized favorite at court, Robert Dudley. The legacies that Robert’s mother and father left him forced the penniless earl to think big and to strive to gain the queen’s favor.

His looks helped win the queen’s favor, but Robert wanted more. He wanted power, money, and military prestige, which was typical of an earl during the Tudor time. However, Robert was pretty terrible at being a military leader. No matter if it was in France, Spain, or Ireland, Devereux managed to fail on his missions and irritating the queen. Watkins included transcripts of poems and letters that Devereux and Elizabeth I exchanged and you can feel the anger and frustration centuries later. Devereux comes off as a spoiled brat who whined when he didn’t get his way and Elizabeth just continued to exasperate him.

Devereux would redeem himself slightly when he uncovered a plot by Elizabeth’s doctor Lopez to assassinate the queen with poison. Yet for the most part, the queen was almost always upset with the young man, which made him act recklessly. Although he did marry the daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, he was known to have a few mistresses and illegitimate children on the side. When he was really upset with the queen, he would break into her chamber or he would sulk at home feigning illness until she would beg for him to come back to court. This was his routine until he was pushed over the edge and would stage a rebellion against the woman who raised him so high, ultimately leading to his own demise.

.Robert Devereux was the moody last favorite of Elizabeth I who depended too heavily on her influence to guide his life choices. Watkins does a very good job at portraying Devereux’s numerous attempts to change his fate and how he failed miserably. The length of this biography was reasonable and it did allow readers to get to know the truth about the young man who would be the final favorite. If you want a short biography about the man behind the Essex Rebellion, you should check out, “Elizabeth I’s Last Favourite: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex” by Sarah-Beth Watkins.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, was to become Queen Elizabeth I's, last favorite courtier. His step-father Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, had also been a favorite of the queen. Devereux had big ambitions, and as Ms. Watkins explains, he rose to hold numerous positions, not least of which was a seat on the Privy Council. He was to become Lieutenant and Governor-General of Ireland in 1599 before falling out of favor. Up until this point, he had been able to flatter the queen, but it seems the aging monarch had had enough of his antics. His failures in Ireland and unwillingness to follow the Queen's commands were to be the last straw.

By all accounts, Devereux seems to have been a man in search of fame and glory, much of it on the battlefield, where things didn't always go his way. Whenever the queen was displeased, he seemed to have a way of flattering her or feigning sickness to win her sympathy. He also flaunted her requests and often took matters into his own hands, like when he knighted men on the battlefield against protocol. Although the queen often seemed infuriated by his actions, more often than not, she ended up turning a blind eye to his transgressions and shenanigans.

I have to say that I wasn't drawn to Devereux as a person. He seemed very egoistical and manipulative, but perhaps that was necessary to survive the intrigue and jealousies that plagued the Tudor court of the time. I did enjoy reading this account of his life and learning about the love-hate relationship he kept up for years with the aging queen. At times they reminded me of a pair of squabbling teenagers. Ms. Watkins does an excellent job of making Tudor history come alive. That is perhaps what makes this such an enjoyable and fascinating read.

Thanks to Chronos Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. More reviews at www.susannesbooklist.com

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Handsome, clever and privileged, the step-son of Queen Elizabeth I's favourite Robert Dudley, young Robert Devereux had the world at his feet. A brave soldier, scholarly and interesting, he captivated the much older Queen. He even started his own intelligence network - he had a finger in many pies! However, pride got the better of him in the end and he went too far, leading to a sad and ignominious end.

Sarah-Beth Watkins provides a sympathetic and comprehensive look at this famous Tudor man, including letters and extracts from documents written at the time. She shines a light on his exploits in the wars, his relationship with his friends, and his exceedingly volatile relationship with the Queen. I found the account of his strange friendship with Raleigh especially interesting. As they were both tempestuous and arrogant, it could perhaps be said that they just didn't understand each other. Devereux's disobedience and his impetuous nature coupled with her favouritism probably led him to think that he could do what he liked, but it was not to be. His final military adventures in Ireland were just too much for him, and he couldn't cope.

It has often been implied that the Queen could not overcome her fury when Essex famously burst into her bedchamber, and found her in a state of undress, and that this was even part of a subconscious reason for his execution.. He was headed for a downfall after this, but he answered this charge, and the Queen's attitude towards him was softening, according to Watkins.

I always enjoy Sarah-Beth Watkin's biographies, and this was even better than usual. It is certainly a worthwhile read for any Tudor fan.

I received this free ebook from Chronos Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing, in return for an honest review.

[Elma Voogdt · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was asked to do a review of the book on Elizabeth’s last favorite I was curious because I didn’t know too much about Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. Finally last week the book arrived so I start reading. Who was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex?

Robert Devereux was the second Earl of Essex. He was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, after the death of her favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Their relationship was stormy and turbulent, with many arguments. Still, Elizabeth continued to forgive her favorite. He was also the son of Lettice Knollys, her great-niece and former girlfriend.

The book is very interesting, it is always nice to learn more. Interesting read about his relationship with the Queen. Robert Devereux was her last favorite, but the book tells us also that she had more favorites. I enjoyed this read because reading means learning, and that is what we do in this book.

The writing of the author is accessible and visual. You get the feeling you really get to now Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex is not the nicest man, he comes across as rather unkind. A man who did a lot for his own gain. In addition to the relationship description with Elizabeth, we also learn a lot about Robert’s warfare, including in the Netherlands. You notice that the author has done thorough research. As a result, it has become an educational and fascinating biography. The book also makes use of the letters exchanged by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Elizabeth.

Overall : A good book of Sarah-Beth Watkins. It has become a fascinating biography, perhaps not to long. You can say : short but full with information. The book is definitely recommended if you like history and the British Royals.

[Amy McElroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read numerous books by Sarah-Beth I couldn't turn down the opportunity to read this intriguing one.

I was of course aware of who Robert Devereux was but knew little about his childhood or how he spent his life other than he was a favourite of Elizabeth that was eventually executed.

Robert Devereux was the stepson of Robert Dudley and son of Lettice Knollys. He became an earl at a young age and grew up educated and privileged but appears to have always wanted more for himself and did not like to be challenged in his position as a favourite of Elizabeth.

His relationship with Elizabeth I was not the only interesting one, I was unaware of the difficult relationship he had with Sir Walter Raleigh which now reading this I can see may have been in part to his own ambition and jealousy. Robert Devereux made many mistakes trying to further his own ambition but eventually pushed too far in Elizabeth’s estimations and paid the ultimate price.

Sarah-Beth has managed to not only tell his story but also shed a light on his personality which comes through in his letters mentioned throughout.

He is a fascinating person and I'd love to read more about him and thanks to the select bibliography I know exactly where to start!

As with her previous books Sarah-Beth remains focused on the topic so although it is a slim book it's full of information about Robert Devereux including extracts of his letters which are truly fascinating.

If you'd like to know more about Robert Devereux I would certainly recommend this.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child marriage
Physical abuse
Cheating
Murder
Poisoning