| Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex was a dazzling courtier who captivated Elizabeth. The step-son of the Earl of Leicester (one of Elizabeth\'s earlier favourites), and the husband of Sir Philip Sidney\'s widow, he tried to draw on the legacies of those around him to increase his favour. Throughout the 1590s, Essex had played on his favour with the Queen and had risen quickly through military ranks to be appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1599. Essex was unable to deploy successfully the fullest and best equipped Tudor army ever sent to Ireland and, in September 1599, he signed an unauthorised truce with the leading Irish rebel, the Earl of Tyrone. Elizabeth was furious, ordered his arrest and stripped him of his titles. In January 1601, the rebel earl led an abortive raid against the Queen and London but was captured and, on 25 February, executed for treason.
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