Earl of Essex and Lord Burghley: Did the Earl of Essex use his network of spies to provoke the plot in order to expose Lopez and get Burghley's job? Why was Burghley acting against Lopez?

The Earl Of Essex

Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex, was a young and charismatic nobleman who became a favourite of the ageing Queen in the 1580s. He was ambitious and saw himself as the replacement for the ageing Lord Burghley. A military man, he wanted the glory of winning the war against Spain. 

In 1590 Essex inherited a spy network from his father-in-law, Lord Walsingham. He used his spies to infiltrate groups to discover and, if necessary, provoke plots. Then he would expose the plot and claim the glory. When Essex began improving and expanding his spy network, Lopez became an obvious target: a greedy man with access to high places. However Lopez refused to become involved, saying it was too risky because, although Essex was in favour at that time, that could change. Although prescient, his unwillingness put Lopez out of favour with Essex.

Essex had other reasons to dislike Lopez, who had been his physician. He suspected Lopez of discussing an embarrassing condition (either haemorrhoids or syphilis) at a party, much to the amusement of the guests. Essex presumably would have had no qualms in sacrificing Lopez in order to achieve his career aims.

Lord Burghley

William Cecil, Lord Burghley, 73 at the time of the plot, was the most powerful man in England. He was Lord Treasurer, he had the ear of the Queen and used it to preach peace. He wanted his son, Robert Cecil, to inherit his position. He was aware that the Earl of Essex was after his job, and considered him a threat, especially when Essex enlisted the help of his two nephews, Francis and Anthony Bacon, in expanding the Essex intelligence service.

He was one of Elizabeth's most trusted advisors, serving her as Secretary, (1558-72) and as Lord Treasurer (1572-98). He served the state through 40 years, through three reigns, and won himself a reputation as a master of Renaissance statecraft. He is known for establishing an efficient secret service, and it is in this activity that he became involved in the plot against Queen Elizabeth I. In 1591 he recruited the Spanish agent Andrada as a double agent in order to learn of any threats against the Queen. He was willing to turn a blind eye to any threat against Dom Antonio, but Andrada was involved in a plot against both Dom Antonio and the Queen. It thus became important for Lord Burghley to disassociate himself from any association with Lopez, even if he was not convinced of his guilt.

More Information

Q. What was the function of the court?

We shouldn't think of court life as the icing on the cake, whilst the actual business of government took place elsewhere. The court was both the government and the visible demonstration of that government. Power could only be acquired through proximity to the monarch; power relations were expressed through the rituals of court.

So who could get close to the monarch?

How indeed did the lay out of the palace control access to the Queen? We know that there were different factions at court, how could they be kept in check? Were the 1590s a peculiarly dangerous time because of the bitter rivalry of Lord Burghley and the Earl of Essex?

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