Walter Devereux: The Other Earl of Essex You've Never Heard Of

Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex, lived a life marked by ambition, peril, and the shifting fortunes of Elizabethan politics. Born into a powerful family, he would rise to prominence in a court where favor could elevate a man as swiftly as it could destroy him. His story is one of bold decisions, restless pursuits, and the heavy weight of expectation- a tale that begins with promise and unfolds into both triumph and tragedy.

Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, Unknown, c. 1572

Walter Devereux, soldier, adventurer, and courtier, was born on 16 September 1539 at Chartley, Staffordshire, the ancestral seat of his family. He was the eldest son of Sir Robert Devereux, a knight of the shire and heir to the Devereux estates, whose lineage traced back through generations of Marcher lords with deep roots in the Welsh borderlands. His mother, Dorothy Hastings, was the daughter of George Hastings, 1^st Earl of Huntingdon, and Anne Stafford, connecting Walter not only to one of the most influential noble houses of the Midlands but also to the Plantagenet bloodline through the Staffords. From birth, Walter stood at the crossroads of power and expectation, his parentage ensuring both opportunity and responsibility in a world where family ties were often the key to advancement.

 

In 1561, Walter married Lettice Knollys, a woman whose lineage and beauty placed her among the most intriguing figures of Elizabethan society. Lettice was the granddaughter of Mary Boleyn, sister to the ill-fated Queen Anne Boleyn, which gave Lettice a notable connection to Queen Elizabeth I herself. Through her father, Sir Francis Knollys, a trusted courtier and staunch Protestant, and her mother, Catherine Carey, she was tied to some of the most influential families in England. Lettice was known for her striking red-gold hair, her wit, and her commanding presence at court, qualities that would later win her both admiration and enmity in equal measure. With Walter, she bore five children, securing the Devereux line. Among them was their most famous son, Robert Devereux, 2^nd Earl of Essex, who would rise to become Elizabeth’s favored courtier, and, eventually, one of the most tragic figures of her reign.

Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex and Leicester, attributed to George Gower, c. 1585

Walter rose to prominence during a turbulent period in Elizabethan England, when the realm was threatened both from within and without. Following the dramatic flight of Mary, Queen of Scots into England after her forced abdication, Walter was briefly entrusted with her custody at his family seat of Chartley. Though her stay there was short, the responsibility underscored the Crown’s confidence in him; to guard a deposed queen was no ordinary task, particularly one whose presence in England stirred plots, intrigue, and the hopes of Catholic sympathizers. The following year, Walter further proved his loyalty during the Northern Rebellion of 1569, when Catholic nobles of the north attempted to depose Queen Elizabeth I and restore Catholic worship, with Mary, Queen of Scots herself envisioned as a potential alternative monarch. Walter played a significant role in suppressing the insurrection, lending both men and leadership to the Crown’s cause in quelling the uprising. His service during this crisis strengthened his standing at court, and in recognition of his steadfastness and martial ability, he was honored in 1572 with the investiture of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in England, a mark of the Queen’s esteem and a testament to his rising influence.

Mary, Queen of Scots, Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1578

Later appointed Earl Marshal of Ireland, Walter embarked on military ventures that were intended to strengthen English authority but instead brought him years of hardship, disappointment, and decline. In 1573, he launched what became known as the “Plantation of Ulster”, one of the earliest English attempts to establish a controlled colonial presence in Ireland. Tasked with extending Elizabeth I’s authority into the rebellious northern provinces, Walter sought to settle English and Welsh tenants on confiscated lands, displacing native Irish lords and reshaping the region’s social and political landscape. His ambitions were bold, envisioning a model of loyal Protestant settlements that could secure the Crown’s interests, but the reality proved far harsher. His forces were chronically under-supplied, beset by famine, poor logistics, and outbreaks of disease, while local Irish resistance remained fierce and unyielding. Compounding these difficulties, court politics in London were treacherous: rival factions questioned his competence and challenged his authority, leaving him isolated and undermined. The campaign drained his resources, eroded his reputation, and left him physically exhausted, a shadow of the ambitious leader who had set out to transform Ulster. By the time he returned to Dublin, Walter’s health was failing. On 23 September 1576, at the age of just thirty-seven, he succumbed to dysentery- a common and deadly scourge in the harsh conditions of military campaigns- and was later buried in Carmarthen, his life cut tragically short before his grand designs could bear fruit.

 

Yet Walter’s death was far from simple or unquestioned. In the charged atmosphere of Elizabeth I’s court, where power, jealousy, and ambition intertwined, rumors quickly began to swirl that his demise might not have been natural. Some whispered that he had been poisoned, with fingers pointing- quietly, carefully- toward those who stood to benefit from his passing. Lettice, his ambitious and captivating wife, later secretly wed Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the Queen’s favorite, fueling speculation that her desires for influence or security may have played a part, whether directly or indirectly. Others wondered whether young Robert Devereux, his son, whose own fiery ambition would later mirror the perilous courtly path of his father, had been drawn into the tangled web of intrigue surrounding the family. While there is no concreate evidence, the dramatic circumstances of Walter’s death, coupled with the political ambitions and secretive marriages that followed, cast a shadow of mystery over his final days.

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, after Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, c. 1596

Walter Devereux’s life embodies the precarious balance of fortune in Elizabethan England- where honor, ambition, and loyalty could elevate a man as swiftly as they could undo him. Though he won Elizabeth I’s trust and the Order of the Garter, his ventures in Ireland brought more hardship than glory, and his death left behind more questions than answers. Yet his greatest legacy was not his own career, but his son, Robert Devereux, 2^nd Earl of Essex, who would rise higher still in Elizabeth I’s favor before tumbling into the perilous cycle of ambition and ruin. In Walter’s story, we glimpse the foreshadowing of his son’s downfall- a reminder that in the treacherous world of the Tudor court, even the most promising stars could burn out all too soon.

 

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