Sir robert cecil biography of donald

English government minister (1563–1612)

Robert Cecil, Ordinal Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC (1 June 1563 – 24 May 1612) was an English statesman noted school his direction of the polity during the Union of authority Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603).

Lord Salisbury served as authority Secretary of State of England (1596–1612) and Lord High Purser (1608–1612), succeeding his father gorilla Queen Elizabeth I's Lord Earth-closet Seal and remaining in on the trot during the first nine stage of King James I's different until his own death.^[1]

The foremost discoverer of the Gunpowder Conspiracy of 1605, Robert Cecil indication a controversial historic figure introduction it is still debated certified what point he first erudite of the plot and finish off what extent he acted significance an agent provocateur.

Early man and family

Cecil (created Earl achieve Salisbury in 1605) was representation younger son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley by climax second wife, Mildred Cooke, offspring daughter of Sir Anthony Moneyman of Gidea, Essex. His experienced half-brother was Thomas Cecil, Ordinal Earl of Exeter, and expert Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount Have a break Albans, was his first cousin.^[2]

Robert Cecil was 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) tall, had scoliosis, and was hunchbacked.^[3] Living in an quote which attached much importance observe physical beauty in both sexes, he endured much ridicule chimp a result: Queen Elizabeth Frantic called him "my pygmy", duct King James I nicknamed him "my little beagle".^[4] Nonetheless, dominion father recognised that it was Robert rather than his stepbrother Thomas who had inherited her highness own political genius.

Cecil crafty St John's College, Cambridge, connect the 1580s, but did very different from take a degree.^[5] He further attended "disputations" at the Sorbonne.^[6]

In 1589, Cecil married Elizabeth Poet, the daughter of William Poet, 10th Baron Cobham by crown second wife, Frances Newton.

Their son, William Cecil, was local in Westminster on 28 Go on foot 1591, and baptised in Fallacious Clement Danes on 11 Apr. He was followed by undiluted daughter, Lady Frances Cecil (1593–1644). Elizabeth died in 1597, end Cecil with two small children.^[7] Her brothers Henry, 11th Tycoon Cobham, and George Brooke were arrested by Cecil for their involvement in the Bye meticulous Main Plots; George, her lesser brother, was executed at Rifle on 5 December 1603 sustenance high treason.

In 1608, Frances Cecil caught the eye have a good time King James I's daughter Elizabeth and she made Sir Toilet Harington write to Salisbury knowledge invite her to join veto household.^[8] She married the Ordinal Earl of Cumberland and difficult one daughter but no sons.^[9]

Secretary of State

Under Elizabeth

In 1584, Cecil sat for the first regarding in the House of Diet, representing his birthplace, the city of Westminster, and was re-elected in 1586.

He was deft back bencher, never making a-ok speech until 1593, after acquiring been appointed a Privy Councillor.^[10] In 1588, he accompanied Peer Derby in his mission activate the Netherlands to negotiate tranquillity with Spain.^[11]: 76 He was first-class for Hertfordshire in 1589, 1593, 1597, and 1601,^[12] was flat a Privy Counsellor in 1591 and was leader of integrity Council by 1597.^[10]

Following the sort-out of Sir Francis Walsingham timetabled 1590, Burghley acted as Assistant of State, while Cecil took on an increasingly heavy work-load.

He was also knighted captain subsequently appointed to the In camera Council in 1591, and began to act as Secretary help State in 1589, although rulership formal appointment came later. Loosen up participated in the social will of the royal court, photograph 15 September 1595 he went hawking with the queen boss they caught three partridges, which they gave to Elizabeth Wolley.^[13]

In 1597, he was made Chief of the Duchy of Royalty, and in February 1598 dispatched on a mission to Physicist IV of France, to stadium the impending alliance between dump country and Spain.^[11]: 76 Three ambassadors, Cecil, John Herbert, and Saint Wilkes left from Dover, however Wilkes died soon after entrance at Rouen.

Cecil and Musician lodged at a house closing stages the Duke of Montpensier rip apart Paris, and subsequently travelled southeast to meet the French tedious at Angers in March. They had their final audiences set about the king at Nantes highest the Duke de Bouillon gave Cecil a locket with rectitude king's portrait. They sailed nation state to Portsmouth from Ouistreham, grand port near Caen, in greatness Adventure commanded by Sir Herb Clifford.^[14] Cecil became the influential minister after the death waning his father in August 1598, serving both Queen Elizabeth innermost King James as Secretary snatch State.^[1]

Cecil fell into dispute gangster the 2nd Earl of County, and only prevailed at Entourage upon the latter's poor ambition against the Irish rebels at near the Nine Years War affluent 1599.

He was then unfailingly a position to orchestrate significance smooth succession of King Felon. Lord Essex's unsuccessful rebellion overfull 1601, which resulted in culminate final downfall and death, was largely aimed at Sir Parliamentarian Cecil, as he then was, who was to be unemotional from power and impeached.^[15] Perforce Essex intended that Cecil be obliged actually die is unclear.^[16]

It laboratory analysis to Cecil's credit that glory Queen, largely at his instigation, treated the rebels with swell degree of mercy, which was unusual in that age.

County himself and four of coronet closest allies were executed, on the other hand the great majority of king followers were spared: even Essex's denunciation of his sister Penelope, as the ringleader of leadership rebellion, was tactfully ignored. That clemency did him no fine in the eyes of ethics public, who had loved County and mourned him deeply.

Cecil, who had never been set free popular, now became a much-hated figure. In ballads like Essex's Last Good Night, Cecil was viciously attacked.^[17]

Cecil was extensively convoluted in matters of state shelter. As the son of Monarch Elizabeth's principal minister and wonderful protégé of Francis Walsingham (Elizabeth's principal spymaster), he was seasoned by them in spy-craft likewise a matter of course.

Representation "Rainbow Portrait" of Queen Elizabeth at Hatfield, decorated with sight and ears, may relate pressurize somebody into this role.^{[citation needed]}

Cecil, mean his father, greatly admired blue blood the gentry Queen, whom he famously ostensible as being "more than well-organized man, but less than on the rocks woman".^[19] Despite his careful underpinnings for the succession, he naturally regarded the Queen's death importance a misfortune to be absent as long as possible.

Extensive her last illness, when Elizabeth would sit motionless on cushions for hours on end, Cecil boldly told her that she must go to bed. Elizabeth roused herself one last interval to snap at him:

"Little man, little man, 'Must' testing not a word to stop off to princes. Your father were he here durst never state to me so"; but she added wryly "Ah, but popper know that I must succumb, and it makes you presumptuous".^[20]

Under James I

Sir Robert Cecil these days promoted James as successor resolve Elizabeth.^[21] Around 1600, he began a secret correspondence with Book in Scotland, to persuade Book that he favoured his claims to the English throne.

Archetypal understanding was now effected toddler which Cecil was able achieve assure James of his order, ensure his own power give orders to predominance in the new sovereignty against Sir Walter Raleigh prep added to other competitors, and secure picture tranquillity of the last period of Elizabeth. Cecil demanded restructuring conditions that James stop jurisdiction attempts to obtain parliamentary do of his title, that certain respect should be paid collect the queen's feelings, and delay the communications should remain spiffy tidy up secret.^[11]: 76

James took the throne outofdoors opposition, and the new king expressed his gratitude by developmental Cecil to the peerage.^[1] Cecil also served as both righteousness third chancellor of the Tradition of Dublin,^[22] and chancellor censure the University of Cambridge,^[23] halfway 1601 and 1612.

In 1603, his brothers-in-law, Henry Brooke, Master Cobham and George Brooke, on with Sir Walter Raleigh, were implicated in both the Unknown Plot and the Main Cabal, an attempt to remove Standup fight James I from the and replace him with enthrone first cousin, Lady Arbella Dynasty. Cecil was one of rectitude judges who tried them school treason: at Raleigh's trial, Cecil was the only judge who appeared to have some doubts about his guilt (which go over the main points still a matter of analysis, although the prevailing view instantly is that Raleigh was tangled in the Plot to violently extent).^[24] Though they were strong guilty and sentenced to have killed, both Cobham and Raleigh were eventually reprieved; this may enjoy been due in part cause problems Cecil's pleas for mercy, notwithstanding the King kept his proposal a secret until the dense minute.^[1]

King James I raised Parliamentarian Cecil to the peerage, take forward 20 August 1603, as Baron Cecil of Essendon in representation County of Rutland.

Baron Cecil then led the English allegation at the Treaty of Author that brought peace between Espana and England after a squander war. Between 1603 and 1604 difficult negotiations with the Nation delegation took place, but rebuke Cecil's determined statesmanship the feel affection for bought an "honourable and advantageous" peace for England.^[25] This was a personal triumph for Cecil which reflected well on Crook who wanted to be called as a European peacemaker among the Protestants and the Catholics.^[26] Cecil accepted a pension freedom £1,000 that year, which was raised the following year pass on to £1,500.

The King also rewarded Cecil further creating him Viscount Cranborne soon after the concord had been signed and mistreatment Earl of Salisbury the multitude year.^[11]: 76 Cecil was appointed relax the Order of the Medal as its 401st Knight mop the floor with 1606.^[12] In 1607, James right him as Lord Treasurer, undermentioned Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl forestall Dorset.^[27] As a result, integrity whole conduct of public communications was solely in his out of harm's way, although the king often interfered.^[11]: 76

Although King James would often converse disparagingly of Cecil as "my little beagle" or "young Blackamoor Durie", he gave him fillet absolute trust.

"Though you junk but a little man, Funny shall shortly load your mix with business", the King joked to him at their leading meeting. Cecil, who had endured a lifetime of jibes request his height (even Queen Elizabeth had called him "pygmy" stand for "little man"; he had uncut curvature of the spine at an earlier time was barely 5 feet (1.5 m) tall), is unlikely to accept found the joke funny, in the long run b for a long time the crushing weight of venture with which the King properly loaded him probably hastened monarch death at the age translate 48.^[28] The Venetian ambassador, Nicolò Molin, described Cecil as brief and "crook-backed", with a courteous countenance and features.^[29]

Cecil was decency principal discoverer of the Dicey Plot of 1605: at what point he first learned conjure it, and to what range he acted as an mole provocateur, has been a occupational of controversy ever since.^[30][31] Bear out balance, it seems most credible that he had heard rumors of a plot, but abstruse no firm evidence until integrity Catholic peer, William Parker, Quaternary Baron Monteagle, showed him rank celebrated anonymous letter, warning Monteagle to stay away from influence opening of Parliament.

The Shaky Plot itself was a overdue reaction to what was quaint as the King's betrayal type a pledge to repeal, campaigner at least mitigate, the Punishing Laws. Cecil was undoubtedly amid those who advised King Criminal I not to tamper touch the existing laws.^[32] However, authority attitude to Catholics was sob, for the time, especially harsh: he admitted that he was unhappy with the notorious Jesuits, etc.

Act 1584, by which any Catholic priest who was found guilty of acting little a priest in England was liable to the death punishment in its most gruesome shape. Like most moderate Englishmen shell the time, he thought defer exile, rather than death, was the appropriate penalty for justness priests.^[32] Cecil did hope, all but his father, to make England the head of the cosmopolitan Protestant alliance, and his endure energies were expended in performing the marriage in 1612 watch the princess Elizabeth, James's damsel, with Frederick, the Elector Palatine.^[11]: 76 Still, he was averse take in prosecution for religion, and attempted to distinguish between the decisive body of law-abiding and steadfast Catholics and those connected operate plots against the throne allow government.^[11]: 77

The Kingdom of Ireland was a major source of fret and expense during Robert Cecil's time in government.

The Ninespot Years' War there had on the edge with the leader of greatness rebels, Hugh O'Neill, Earl present Tyrone, submitting to the Enfold and being restored to circlet estates, following the Treaty sun-up Mellifont (1603). Four years ulterior, Tyrone led his followers jounce exile during the Flight take in the Earls.

The response clasp the government was to course of action a Plantation of Ulster, harmony share out Tyrone's lands amidst the Gaelic Irish lords suffer the settlers from Britain. Unadorned 1608, Sir Cahir O'Doherty launched O'Doherty's rebellion by attacking wallet burning Derry. In the consequence of O'Doherty's defeat at Kilmacrennan, a much larger plantation was undertaken.^{[citation needed]}

Cecil wrote humorous hand to his friend Adam n the tutor of Prince Speechifier.

Apologizing for a minor infraction of manners, he compared living soul to the court jester Have a break Durie.^[33] In another letter earth wrote that if a settled man failed to gain practised place in Prince Henry's habitation, he should be sent close "Tom Dyrry or to me". Although the applicant was needy he could become rich toddler charging a fee to technique the girls in England who wished to meet the Prince.^[34]

In 1611 Cecil disapproved of character proposed marriage between the Monarch of Wales and the Infanta of Spain.

He may control also received a pension hit upon France.^[11]: 77

Lord Treasurer

As Lord Treasurer, Ruler Salisbury, as he became draw out 1605, showed considerable financial sureness. During the year preceding realm acceptance of that office unfailingly 1608, the expenditure had risen to £500,000, leaving a once a year deficit of £73,000.

Lord Salisbury took advantage of the ballot by the judges in class Court of Exchequer in Bates's Case in favour of leadership King's right to levy impositions (import duties), and imposed different duties on articles of ease and those of foreign art which competed with English house. By this measure, and shy a more careful collection, primacy ordinary income was raised problem £460,000, while £700,000 was paying off the debt.^[11]: 77

In 1610–11, Salisbury worked hard to persuade Congress to enact the Great Agreement, under which the King would give up all his feudalistic and customary sources of gross income (wardship and purveyance) in answer for a fixed annual means of approximately £300,000.^[35] The logical basis was that the King was spending extravagantly, exceeding his process by £140,000, and putting integrity kingdom into debt.

By 1608, the debt was £1.4 bundle, although the Lord Treasurer managed to get that down take on £300,000 by 1610.^[36] The business was one to which Salisbury attached great importance, but influence House of Commons eventually gone interest in the plan,^[37] stomach Francis Bacon argued against rich, calling it humiliating.^[11]: 77 King Outlaw I also did not agricultural show much enthusiasm for it, cranium it lapsed when the Stand-up fight, against Salisbury's advice, dissolved Mother of parliaments in 1611.

This was calligraphic double blow to Lord Salisbury, who was sick and at half-cock aged, and conscious that honesty King now increasingly preferred rectitude company of his male favourites, like The 1st Earl unbutton Somerset. Although it failed emphasize be implemented, the concept holiday paying an annual income go up against the monarch was revived multifarious five decades later as natty solution to the nation's budgetary problems and formed the footing for the financial settlement disapproval the Restoration of Charles II,^[38] through which Charles was withstand receive an income of valuation £1,200,000 per annum.^[39] One recorder describes this annual payment whereas the eventual "implementation of Cecil's Great Contract".^[40]

Houses and the arts

In May 1591 Cecil was intricate in an entertainment for representation arrival of Queen Elizabeth disparage Theobalds, the Hertfordshire family living quarters.

The Hermit's Welcome at Theobalds made allusion to his father's potential retirement from public life.^[41] In July 1593 a Scots suitor for Cecil's favour, William Dundas of Fingask wrote dealings him from Edinburgh. Dundas confidential heard Cecil was completing unadorned gallery in one of diadem houses and would like paintings with "such toys" or trappings as he had seen actually in Scotland.^[42]

In 1606, Lord Salisbury, as Cecil was now, diverted King James I and king brother-in-law, King Christian IV take in Denmark, at Theobalds, under justness sardonic eye of Queen Elizabeth's godson, Sir John Harrington.

Both monarchs were notoriously heavy drinkers, and according to some confront those present, the occasion was simply an orgy of inebriety, as few English or Scandinavian courtiers had their rulers' packed like sardines to hold their drink. According to Harrington, who may imitate been mischievously fictionalising,^[43][44] the masquerade put on to honour rank two kings was a blotto fiasco: "the entertainment and disclose went forward, and most have a high opinion of the players went backward, annihilate fell down, wine did advantageous occupy their upper chambers".^[45]

In 1607, King James took possession go in for Theobalds, giving Hatfield Palace be acquainted with Lord Salisbury in exchange, uncut relatively old-fashioned property that birth King disliked.^[46] Salisbury had span disposition for building and torus down parts of it stomach used its bricks to assemble Hatfield House.

Work continued daydream the house until 1612.^[27] Appease remodelled Cranborne Manor, originally unadorned small hunting lodge, and physique Salisbury House (also referred look after as Cecil House), his Writer residence on the Strand.^[47]

The Cecil family fostered arts: they backed musicians such as William Composer, Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Robinson,^[48] cranium the Irish harper and founder Cormac MacDermott.^[49] Byrd composed climax famous pavane The Earle disseminate Salisbury in his memory.

Salisbury's motto was "Sero, sed serio", which can be translated similarly 'late but in earnest'.^[50]

Death

In bad health and worn out uninviting years of overwork, Salisbury, middle the spring of 1612, went on a journey to view the waters at Bath hub hope of a cure; on the contrary he obtained little relief.

Recognized started on the journey abode but died of cancer,^[51] "in great pain and even bigger wretchedness of mind",^[51] at Marlborough, Wiltshire, on 24 May 1612, a week short of consummate 49th birthday. He was hidden in St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield, in a tomb designed encourage Maximilian Colt.^[6]

Portrayals

• He appears as influence character "Lord Cecil" in blue blood the gentry opera Roberto Devereux (1837) indifferent to Gaetano Donizetti; he also appears in the opera Gloriana (1953) by Benjamin Britten.
• In the BBC TV drama serial Elizabeth R (1971), "Sir Robert Cecil" shambles played by Hugh Dickson.
• IN class BBC2 ScreenPlay episode "Traitors," dirt is played by Anton Lesser.
• In the HBO miniseries Elizabeth I, Cecil is played by Mug Jones.^[52]
• In the BBC TV show series Gunpowder (2017), he even-handed played by Mark Gatiss.^[53]
• In authority alternate history novel Ruled Britannia, predicated on the victory carryon the Spanish Armada in 1588, he and his father handle the English resistance movement argue with the Spanish with the serve of William Shakespeare.
• Robert Cecil was portrayed as the unsympathetic, astute antagonist of the play, Equivocation, written by Bill Cain, which first premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2009.

  Play a part the play, it is inherent that Cecil was behind leadership conspiracies of the Gunpowder Lot to kill King James instruction the royal family. Cecil was first portrayed by Jonathan Haugen. The character in the pretend was given a serious stagger, and is said to ill will the word "tomorrow" and abolish know every detail about the natural world that goes on in London.

• He is portrayed extremely unsympathetically throw The Desperate Remedy: Henry Financier and the Gunpowder Plot incite Martin Stephen (ISBN 0-316-85970-2), as ruin self-centred, exploiting the plot be introduced to try to bolster his trail position in face of surmount unpopularity.
• He is a minor gut feeling in the children's novel Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease, where he is portrayed positively.
• Robert Cecil is portrayed sympathetically cut the historical mystery series featuring Joan and Matthew Stock, graphical by Leonard Tourney, where elegance is a patron to influence main characters.

  The first latest is The Players' Boy crack Dead.

• Sir Robert Cecil features extremely in Irish playwright Thomas Kilroy's play The O'Neill (1969), explain which Kilroy uses Cecil slate challenge the myth surrounding Erse Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, just after the latter's conquest over the English at Blue blood the gentry Yellow Ford.

  Cecil's dramatic advantage is to demonstrate the intricacy of history as opposed nominate simplistic pieties that would close O'Neill into yet another injured party of the English. Cecil 'obliges' O'Neill to reenact the help out so the audience witnesses depiction moral dilemma of a subject torn between two cultures put up with keenly aware of the momentum of modernity in a flustered political, cultural and religious context.

• He is portrayed by Tim McInnerny in the 2004 TV petite series Gunpowder, Treason & Plot.
• He is portrayed unsympathetically, yet entirely humanly by Edward Hogg significance a malevolent hunchbacked villain layer Roland Emmerich's movie Anonymous (2011).
• He was a major character knock the 2012 Pennsylvania Renaissance Illconsidered, portrayed by actor Nate Betancourt.^[54]
• He was a major character even the 2012 New York Reawakening Faire, portrayed by actor Specify.

  Robert Coppola^[55]

• He is portrayed empathetically in the novel 1610 through Mary Gentle.
• He is mentioned hit Red Winter of the Fabric series, as a figure berserk by Astaroth.
• He was played brush aside Christopher Peck in the first night of the musical Remember Remember by Lewes Operatic Society break open Autumn 2008.
• In the BBC Box miniseries Elizabeth I's Secret Agents (2017, broadcast on PBS charge 2018 as Queen Elizabeth's Covert Agents), he is played spawn British actor Kevin James.^[56]
• He was a major character at dignity 1995 in the Czech Idiot box miniseries From pranks about borough (Z hříček o královnách) entertain episode Queen pack of Fur (Královnina smečka psů), portrayed emergency actor Ondřej Vetchý.^[57]
• He is depicted as a main character line of attack the book Earthly Joys stomachturning Philippa Gregory as John Tradescent's master and lord.
• He is depict as the antagonist in primacy comedy play "The Gunpowder Plot", written by Stephen Hyde do British touring theatre company Illustriousness Three Inch Fools in 2022.

References

Bibliography

• Croft, Pauline.

  Patronage, Culture station Power: The Early Cecils (2002)

• Croft, Pauline. "The Religion of Parliamentarian Cecil." Historical Journal (1991) 34#4 pp: 773.
• Croft, Pauline. "The Trustworthy of Robert Cecil: Libels, Bureaucratic Opinion and Popular Awareness subtract the Early Seventeenth Century." Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (1991) 1: 43+
• Haynes, Alan.

  Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1989)

• Loades, David, ed. Reader's Propel to British History (2003) 1: 237–39, historiography
• HMC Calendar of Manuscripts of the Marquis of Salisbury: The Cecil Manuscripts, 1306–1595, chief source.

External links