February 25 - The execution of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2024
- On 25th February 1601, Elizabeth I's former favourite, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex was executed by beheading.
In today's video, Claire Ridgway shares an excerpt from her book "On This Day in Tudor History" about Essex's execution, which includes his scaffold speech, before explaining how this man went from being royal favourite to traitor. Pride really did come before a fall in the case of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
You can get the book here: getbook.at/onthisday
You can find Claire at:
www.theanneboleynfiles.com
www.tudorsociety.com
/ theanneboleynfiles
/ tudorsociety
/ anneboleynfiles
/ thetudorsociety
/ tudor.society
/ anneboleynfiles
![BOWKYLION - เจ้านายคะ (work-life imbalance) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6bFj8G2pOi4/mqdefault.jpg)
Coffee, toast and an execution, yup Claire is back!
I absolutely love how you speak Claire, it's just so soothing.
Lovely video from a lovely lady
Hello Claire: I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I enjoy tuning into these daily spots on Tudor history. I've lived in North Carolina for 28 years but was born and lived for 40 years on the beaches of Southern California. I say that to show that I'm as far removed as one can get from Tudor history, but I have loved it since I was in my 20's when I worked for a costume company. I then read a novel on Queen Anne and was hooked.
Anyway, thank you so much for everything you have done; you present it all with a down to earth dignity that is so pleasant and informative. And by the way, I LOVE THE BELLS!☺️ And being an animal lover, I love the little visits and sounds your pets make too. Thanks again! Also, thanks to Tim too!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
It's impossible to have a video without bells and pets so I'm relieved that people enjoy them!
This story reminds me of a quote I read somewhere “do I feed your ego or your heart?”. Elizabeth’s dotage on this vain young man had him act like the prodigal son; wild, impetuous, believing he would return to court more esteemed. But he found out what happens when you betray (and hurt) a Tudor!
"Lord into your hands I commend my spirit." That's from the Passion and is used during the Divine Mercy Reflection. Amazing that a prayer I just said less than an hour ago has been said for thousands of years.
What fascinates me is the weird combination of self-discipline & excess in Essex. Unlike most of his colleagues, Robert Devereux actually got his degree from university, instead of simply partying. His vocabulary was quite Latinate as a result of his studies: one of his letters casually drops the word "tergiversation." Yet this immensely erudite noble could not curb his arrogance around Queen Elizabeth I, herself no slouch as a scholar/ruler/tactician. One has the sensation of out sized abilities dwarfed by erratic behaviour. Such a pity, because Elizabeth was clearly trying to train Essex to be a serious statesman....
I look forward to your videos every day and always watch them with my first cup of tea. Thank you!
I love this channel so much ❤️
I'm a decedent of Margaret Pole. Through her daughter Ursala. I know her execution was less than dignified, from what I've read. I'd love if you could do a video of her. Thanks so much
I wish I’d been a fly on the wall concerning Elizabeth and Dudley 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
The biggest surprise in all this is that Essex knew Elizabeth and her temperament. She assuredly took more from him than probably any other subject at the time, but even she had her limits. I wonder if the story is true that he turned his back on Elizabeth-an unforgiveable gesture regardless of who was the monarch. I believe I saw this in the series Elizabeth R. I mean, one just doesn't DO that!
Even up through the reign of Queen Victoria, you had to back out of the monarch's presence. 👑
@@h.calvert3165 True. In this particular incident, Elizabeth and Essex had been quarreling and he turned his back on her. With Essex's character and pride, it was just a matter of time before he ended up on the block for something. He certainly had nerve.
@@Cissy2cute
I like to think of it as having balls where his brains should have been. ⚽ 🧠 ⚽
@@h.calvert3165 😂 😂 😂
A little gore to get your Monday started. Thanks, Claire! :-)
The perfect way to start the week!
Thank you love these videos
Claire always a total joy to see another video In My inbox this Monday morning..... Have a fabulous week Paula 64 in sussex
"My sins are more in number than the hairs on my head." I guess people are the same, no matter the time or place!😉 Thank you once again, Claire.
Didn't Elizabeth die of grief a couple of years after the execution of Essex? It was said she began to lose interest in life after this event. And Robert Cecil was already pro Stuart, I wonder if she was manipulated by him and his counsel?
Summer Desjardins I don't think so. Elizabeth seemed fine with James Stuart as her heir. He was Protestant, a king, and a blood relative.
I think it was Robert Dudley's death in 1588 that hit her the hardest, and then she also lost Blanche Parry, William Cecil, and the Countess of Nottingham - all people she'd been very close to. Yes, Essex's fall, betrayal and execution did hit her hard.
Even in her final rather depressed years, Elizabeth was very much her own woman and wouldn't have let herself be manipulated. Essex was a loose cannon, overly proud, reckless and arrogant by this time. He acted very foolishly.
Roberts mother lettice was a great advacary of elizabeth. lettice was Elizabeths cousin and i have read Lettice and Elizabeth looked very similar. I always wondered if thats why Robert dudley married Lettice because he couldnt be with Elizabeth.
What a young fool! It still must of hurt her!
35 is young? I got an "over the hill" birthday card at 35.
Just received The Fall of Anne Boleyn a Countdown. Flipping through the pages and reading a few pages! This is a must read for anyone interested in Tudor history!!!!
Claire, which tutor monarch signed the most death warrants that led to the most executions? Was it Henry VIII?
We have to get an annual average, to be fair. Each of the monarchs had reigns of different lengths. Mary I / five years; Edward VI / six years; Henry VII / 24 years; Henry VIII / 38 years; Elizabeth I / 45 years. If each executed one person annually, Elizabeth would seem the villain, simply because she reigned longest. But if we get a total for each, & get an annual average for each, then we can start to see who was the strictest monarch. However, at the same time, one needs to consider the changes in the laws which took place over time. If by the time of Elizabeth's reign, something had become a capital offence which was only a minor one in the reign of her grandfather, well, that means there will be more capital sentences. She would still have the option of pardoning these criminals, though, so we would have to look at how many were sentenced as opposed to how many actually were executed, as well. Also, we have to take into account the temper of the times. A monarch faced with a great deal of civil unrest or foreign conflicts (with possibility of imbedded spies, agents provocateurs, & traitors) has much less room for leniency when someone is found guilty of a capital crime against the state. So numbers, as such, won't tell the whole story. I hope I haven't made this too confusing. 🤔
I've never tried to count them up, as as H. Calvert says, it's rather complicated because of the different lengths of reigns. It was Henry VIII who began to use the Act of Attainder in ways that it hadn't been used before, and it meant that people could be found guilty of treason without a trial, so that was an interesting move.
I wonder what the body count of executions that all the Tudor royalty had commanded.
Maryann Lockwood lol 😂
The numbers vary widely, Henry VIII executed somewhere between 57,000 and 72,000. (Source - history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/10-henry-viii-executions.htm). Edward, Mary and Elizabeth combined barely reach 1,000.
JohnP538 🤭
@@maryannlockwood7806 Which I find very significant since "Bloody Mary" killed less than 300. Proof once again that the winner gets to write the history books.
He was related to her through Catherine Carey and in the books, I read that Elizabeth could not stand his mother.
I remember the Elizabeth R episode with Glenda Jackson..,if I remember right Essex barges into the queens room on his return...she is without her wig or makeup. Not too bright...
Allegedly he drew a weapon on her as well
Yes, an arrogant and foolish thing to do.
🇦🇺🦘 Great video and information. I cannot adequately add to comments already made. So I won't, but "THANK YOU Claire" 🔔👑👍
I love your videos (bells included). And I love your blouse today.
Happy Sunday
I’m going to asked for your fall of Anne boylen book for my bday 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Did the Queen ever witness any executions herself and she had no problems signing death warrants? Thank you.
Darlene Farmer It was against the law for a monarch to witness an execution.
She really didn't want to sign Mary, Queen of Scots' death warrant. It took her a long time and a lot of pressure from her council to do it.
OMG Three blows with an axe??? Why in God's name didn't they use a sword instead? I'll never understand the cruel and gruesome tortures and executions back then.
I have a question that’s unrelated I’d like to know more about Anne boyelyns first fiancé Sir James Butler there is very little on him and their connection
I’d love to add to this- would love to know about all the former loves of Anne in a video, pre Henry VIII courting.
I'll definitely do a video about her lovelife pre-Henry VIII, but for now here are some articles:
www.theanneboleynfiles.com/the-early-life-of-anne-boleyn-part-five-the-boleyns-and-butlers/
www.theanneboleynfiles.com/the-early-life-of-anne-boleyn-part-seven-the-butler-chaplain-courtier-and-poet/
James Butler had 7 sons lol one of which married elizabeths granddaughter love the irony!!
@@joannebohan2243 elizabeth had children?
Essex had the looks but lacked the skill of his Stepfather. Dudley held the Queen’s favour ( With a few minor hiccups.) throughout his whole life. He may never have married her, but he was successful in being her truest love and favourite. Aside from that, what Essex missed was that Robert held the title of favourite because he was more than a pretty face, he was loyal and intelligent. Essex was reckless in a way that Dudley never was.
I feel for Elizabeth, after Dudley’s death she really seemed to miss that companionship. She seemed to be looking for a Robert Dudley 2.0 and found it in Essex, for a time, until he made himself more of a headache than a joy. Say what you will about Dudley, he knew that Elizabeth’s affection could only leash him so far, Essex never quite understood that.
Another traitor meets his fate. Ironic that his executioner was a man he placed in the job that ultimately swung the final blows that ended his life.
Hi Claire! Do you know if these "death warrants" still exist? Perhaps in a National Archive and can the public view them? Thanks! :)
I believe it does as you can buy copies of it, but I'm not sure which archive it's in.
Marvellous as always
Hi Claire thanks for bringing us these facts and trivia,I was wondering if you knew where Essex house was ? Thanks Katherine
Hi, Katherine. Obviously I'm not Claire, and it's 5 months since you posted your query so you may already have an answer, but if not... Essex House was on the Strand, next to the gardens of the Temple/Inner Temple (still there today, but maybe smaller) and almost opposite the church of St Clement Danes, also still there. On a modern map of London the site is remembered in street names: Essex Street, Devereux Court, and Essex Court. There was no Embankment back then. so the property extended from the Strand to the river Thames, where there would have been stairs that provided an entrance from the river.
I think one of the best betrayals of Robert was in The Queen. You can see how he thought Elizabeth would do anything for him with no question. However, he was very young & extremely ill informed when it came to Elizabeth. Yes, she was very found of him & he gave her a new lease on life, if you will. Elizabeth on the other hand was nobodies fool & she repeatedly warned him. At the end of the day Robert was just a young man who got a big head.
Ah! You answered the question I wanted to know your opinion on - was Elizabeth I in love with Sir Robert Dudley. I was hoping you'd address it at some point
Cruel indeed to lop off someones head. Imagine it!
Claire great video again.
One thing I have never understood about executions post Anne Boleyn is why oh why did not all subsequent executions take place with a sword given how smooth and successful it was? Was it deliberate? When you read horror stories like that of Margaret Pole or Mary Queen of Scots it doesn't make sense why the axe continued to be used after 1536, unless the monarch really, really wanted to punish the victim. Was there ever a smooth execution with an axe, doesn't sound like it!
I love your accent ,im so hooked on the tudors I've seen the movie 3 times it goes in depth of anne ,sad,
she was falsely accused the crimes ,heartless Henry has already gone found him another woman while annes head is chopped off so heartless.i my self would not want to live back in that time lol.
I'm from waco tex usa! Love your videos
How isn't these people can give long speeches before their execution and have all their words recorded?
Thank you for this video. Is there any truth to the rumor that Essex was really the son of Robert Dudley?
I had read that also
And The Queen. And brother to their other son Francis Bacon. There has been a lot of people researching her progresses and timing them to pregnancies also foreign reports about the Queen' Dudley and their children. Claire's super attention to detail and pooling others research together would make this fascinating investigation. Always wondered if her extreme anguish over executing Essex was because she killed her own son.
I think there were rumours that Dudley was Lettice's lover in the 1570s, after her husband had gone to Ireland, but Essex was born in 1565 so the timing doesn't fit. I think Leicester would have recognised him as his son after Walter Devereux' death if he had been. He recognised his son by Douglas Sheffield.
@@anneboleynfiles Thank you so much.
I would love to see a video on what happened to sir Walter Raleigh’s Head. Was it really carried by Bess embalmed in a velvet bag or is it an urban legend? Love that you are covering Elizabeth’s reign x
I'll definitely be covering that at some point!
I know the idea that Essex was Elizabeth's and Dudley's son, and he knew it, is not for many but... Decades ago the first time I got into the story I immediately felt he was acting out like a spoiled royal child frustrated with being denied what he felt entitled to like his father with the love of his mother. Her all encompassing emotional response being another stage in what might have been an even more tragic story and trauma for all involved and for us if it was true. For me it was like I was seeing the deeper layer and backstory and once I saw that I couldn't unsee it like de Vere was the author of Shakespeare just too many natural unfoldments making linear sense once the blinders are off. With the likes of Dee and Robert Cecil weaving in the background of a distracted queen much was going on Typical politics. Thanks Claire
Did the Earl of Essex and Cecil truly have an animosity towards each other or is that played up in the media? Thank you!!
It's true. Devereux really didn't like the Cecil faction and the way that the queen listened to them.
Guess Essex was cut up about it in the end😕
You have to hand it to the tudors, Claire, they were a most interesting line of monarchs, if perhaps, not the most likeable.
Claire, it's only the 24th!
Depends where you are in the world. She is 6 hrs. Ahead of me so it's the 25th.😁
Not in Spain! We set them to go live at 12.15 am our time in Spain, so 15 minutes into the day.
I love queen Elizabeth 1st. Did she really make that speech where she says, she may only be a woman but she has the heart of a king? Plz say it's true 😀.
In her speech to the troops gathered at Tilbury to fight the Spaniards if they deed indeed invade, Elizabeth said "I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too", so it's true!
@@anneboleynfiles Thank you. I'm so happy it's true. It's a great speech by a great queen. 🤩
He was a very spoilt young man and he forgot who he was dealing with although elizabeth loved him she was the queen and he overstepped the mark his pride and arrogance were his downfall
Wasn't he and his men out numbered in Ireland, hence the peace treaty?
It's my hubbys bday today, the 25th of Feb
So many executions so little time.... gee
DIDNT ANYONE SHARPEN THE AXE BEFORE EXECUTION? WHAT IS THAT ABOUT ? I READ YOU HAD TO PAY FOR A SHARP AXE😓😰
Elizabeth did not like being humiliated. After defeating mighty Spain in the Battle of the Armada, for English troops to be massacred the way they were by Irish peasants was something she could not handle. But was she that delusional to believe that Essex loved her in a romantic way? In that manner, she was exactly like her father. I also cannot help but think that executing Essex was the perfect way for Elizabeth to get back at her chief rival, Lettice Knollys, who was the mother of Essex.
It’s only Feb 25th and I’ve already lost count of all the executions so far! Forging axes must have been a lucrative business in them days lol.
There are many more to come!
Wasn"t Robert Devereux also Elizabeth's cousin?
Yes, they were related. His maternal grandmother was Catherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn, and she was Elizabeth's first cousin.
@@anneboleynfiles Thank you !
Did she not suspect that demereaux was Robert Dudley and lettuce knowles’ son ..? I had a long day at work. I was wondering what your take is
Essex was born in 1565 and rumours didn't link Leicester and Lettice until after 1573 when her husband went to Ireland, so I think he was her husband's son.
Thank you for clarifying, in the VIRGIN QUEEN 2005, really aims toward Elizabeth’s suspensions, so thank you
Thanks for the factual history, yes I'll keep saying....let the church bells ring!! I hope this isn't to macabre question. The Executioner was his only job or 'drew straws' short one gets the grueling task. That would be a strange job interview.
I'm not sure whether it would have been his only job, but it was an important job and took skill. There were famous executioners, for example, the executioner that beheaded Anne Boleyn was known for his skill with the sword.
Sandra Nevins there is a channel here on TH-cam called “today I found out” and they make videos on a range of modern things and history and recently made a video about how one became an executioner.
Lauren Bee I'll have to check that out,thanks.
Is it possible that Robert was her son? Or is that simply more film fiction?
Elizabeth wanted complete obliteration of Irish culture language and church, he had good reason to disagree with her, as did others.
The Irish situation was only part of it, though.
Dude, February seems to be the month for executions! On the emotional side, I have absolutely no pity or sympathy for Essex. (I said I didn't like him, she said, 'You didn't understand him.' [eye roll].) He just seemed like an arrogant pain in the a**, not to mention melodramatic -- 'waistcoat of scarlet' indeed (!),as if he were the real victim in this situation. Anyway, rant over.
From a slightly more objective, historical viewpoint, I believe there may be some evidence Essex had bipolar disorder. Again, my information is old, but this would explain some of the crazy, irrational things he did and why he always felt aggrieved whenever Elizabeth had to reign him in.
Lastly, I wonder if there has been anymore evidence connecting Essex and John Dowland. Dowland was a major lutenist dude who really wanted a court position but didn't get it (because he was Catholic??). Anyway, he wrote a composition that, in its instrumental versions, is called 'The Earl of Essex Galliard.' It is also set as a lute song, 'Can She Excuse My Wrongs.' The lyricist is unknown, but of course, the words have been attributed to Robert Devereux. A lot of it certainly sounds like him (at least in my speculation).
I was feeling sorry for Devereux until the lady provided context. The guy did some stupid .......He was a Darwin Award winner 200 years before Darwin was born.
This was a fatal case of Stupid Young Man Syndrome...