Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
after Unknown artist
line engraving, 1620s
8 7/8 in. x 6 in. (227 mm x 153 mm) paper size
Reference Collection
NPG D21321
Sitterback to top
- Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex (1591-1646), Parliamentary general. Sitter associated with 44 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Essex's father, the 2nd Earl, had been a favourite of Elizabeth I before his disgrace and execution for treason in 1601. The family honours were restored to the 3rd Earl in 1604. He was married to Frances Howard in 1606 as a political union to end the longstanding enmity between the Devereux and Howard families. The marriage was a failure and its annulment in 1613 was deeply embarrassing. In the years leading up to the Civil War Essex consistently opposed Charles I's policies, and he became General of the Parliamentary army in 1642. His lack of success prompted the formation of the New Model Army.
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Plots, Intrigue and Murder from 1580 - 1700 (25 May 2013 - 8 December 2013)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1620back to top
Current affairs
The beginning of a severe economic depression in England is widely blamed on the East India Company whose export of bullion on each voyage financed their trade. Additionally, despite efforts by Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, to reduce the royal household's expenditure, James I's debt is historically high.Art and science
Francis Bacon publishes his major philosophical work Novum Organum, which presents his account of the correct method of acquiring natural knowledge using inductive reasoning.Inventor and mechanical engineer, Cornelis Drebbel builds an early type of submarine which he demonstrates on the Thames.
International
The Catholic League's invasion of Bohemia and victory at the battle of the White Mountain, forces Frederick V, king of Bohemia and his family into exile in the Hague, after less than a year reigning.The Pilgrim Fathers sail for America in the 'Mayflower', escaping religious persecution in England.
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