Salisbury, Robert Cecil, 1st earl of

Salisbury, Robert Cecil, 1st earl of

▪ English statesman
also called  (1591–1603) Sir Robert Cecil , or  (from 1603) Baron Cecil of Essendon , or  (from 1604) Viscount Cranborne 
born June 1, 1563, London
died May 24, 1612, Marlborough, Wiltshire, Eng.

      English statesman who succeeded his father, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, as Queen Elizabeth I's (Elizabeth I) chief minister in 1598 and skillfully directed the government during the first nine years of the reign of King James I. Cecil gave continuity to the change from Tudor to Stuart rule in England.

      Trained by his father in the craft of statesmanship, he entered the House of Commons in 1584 and in 1588 was sent on his first diplomatic mission abroad. After the death of Queen Elizabeth's secretary of state, Francis Walsingham, in 1590, Cecil gradually took over the work of secretary of state, although he was not formally appointed to the office until July 1596.

      During this period Cecil's chief rival for power was the Queen's favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd earl of Essex. After Essex was executed in 1601 for rebelling against the Queen, Cecil felt free to initiate secret correspondence with King James VI of Scotland, advising the King on ways to cultivate Elizabeth's favour. As a result of his efforts, the succession, upon Elizabeth's death, passed without incident to James, who maintained Cecil as his secretary of state. He was made Viscount Cranborne in 1604 and earl of Salisbury in 1605.

      In pursuing the policies worked out by his father and Queen Elizabeth, Cecil followed a moderately anti-Roman Catholic, anti-Spanish, and anti-Puritan line. In 1604 he negotiated a peace ending the 19-year war with Spain, but he supported the Dutch in their rebellion against the Spanish. When the 12-year truce between Spain and the Dutch was arranged in 1609, Cecil aligned his nation with France in guaranteeing that Spain would not violate the agreement.

      In domestic affairs his influence was less decisive. It was not until 1608 that he gained control of the government's finances through his appointment as lord treasurer. He then set about reducing the crown's rising debt, but he could neither temper James's extravagant spending nor convince him to accept his proposal—the Great Contract of 1610—that the House of Commons grant the crown a fixed yearly sum in return for the abolition of certain feudal dues. The deterioration that took place in James's rule after Cecil's death was presaged as early as 1611, when the incompetent Robert Carr replaced Cecil in the King's confidence.

Additional Reading
Biographies include Algernon Cecil, A Life of Robert Cecil (1915, reprinted 1971); P.M. Handover, The Second Cecil (1959); and Alan Haynes, Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, 1563–1612 (1989).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury — Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC (1 June 1563 ndash; 24 May 1612), son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, and half brother of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, statesman, spymaster and minister to Queen Elizabeth I and King James I …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Cecil, 1. Earl of Salisbury — Robert Cecil (rechts) mit seinem Vater William Cecil, Lord Burghley (links), 1596. Gemälde eines unbekannten Malers. Robert Cecil, 1. Earl of Salisbury (* 1. Juni 1563 in Westminster, London; † 24. Mai 1612) war ein englischer Staatsmann und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter — Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, KG (May 5, 1542 ndash; February 8, 1623), known as Lord Burghley from 1598 to 1605, was an English politician and soldier.Exeter was the eldest son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, and the half brother of… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Cecil — may refer to:*Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563 ndash;1612), statesman, spymaster and minister to Elizabeth I of England and James I of England *Robert Cecil (MP) (1670–1716), Member of Parliament for Castle Rising 1701 and Wootton… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Cecil (1er comte de Salisbury) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cecil. Robert Cecil, 1er comte de Salisb …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury — KG (28 March 1591 ndash; 3 December 1668), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1605 to 1612, was an English peer and politician. Early years, 1591 1612Cecil was the son of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Elizabeth (née Brooke), the daughter… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury — Lord Salisbury redirects here. For other holders of the title, see Marquess of Salisbury. Infobox Prime Minister honorific prefix = The Most Honourable name = The Marquess of Salisbury honorific suffix = KG, GCVO, PC imagesize = 225px order… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury — Robert Michael James Gascoyne Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, PC (born September 30, 1946), is a British Conservative politician. During the 1990s, he was Leader of the House of Lords under his courtesy title of Viscount Cranborne. He is… …   Wikipedia

  • Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk — Admiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC (24 August 1561 – 28 May 1626) was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of… …   Wikipedia

  • Earl of Salisbury — is a title in the that has been created several times in British history. It has a complex history, being first created for Patrick de Salisbury in the middle twelfth century. It was eventually inherited by Alice, wife of Thomas Plantagenet, Earl …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”