Sons of Elizabeth Tudor, Part 2

Helen Gordon

Elizabeth's curly red hair provides a clue for identifying her offspring. Robert Devereux, who was sired by the dark-haired Robert Dudley, had curly auburn hair. The Third Earl of Southampton, to be discussed more fully in Part III, had long, curly locks in auburn color. The first earl of Essex, Walter Devereux, died when Robert was nine, so he became the 2nd Earl of Essex and a ward of the court. He became Elizabeth's favorite after her long-time lover Robert Dudley (who she dubbed Earl of Leicester) died in 1588. This son expected to succeed Elizabeth on the throne of England, and he often acted arrogantly. This trait led William Cecil and others to resentment, so he had enemies at court. When he disobeyed Elizabeth in a military campaign, she punished him by stopping a monopoly of sweet wines that he depended on for income. She refused to see him personally, and William Cecil also barred Essex from contact. To break through the barriers Cecil had made around Elizabeth, Essex tried to form a rebellion. But the effort failed and Essex was charged with treason, then beheaded in 1601. All four of the sons came to an unhappy end.