Essex’s International Agenda in 1595 and His Device of the Indian Prince

In the fall of 1595, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was poised to attain political greatness, and he knew it. The international political climate had become sufficiently precarious that a statesman with Essex‘s particular expertise in foreign intelligence and military matters possessed skills well-tailored to address England’s current crises. Spain was once again preparing to invade, this time with an armada greater than in 1588; relations with England’s key ally France were cooling; and the financial and military advantages of asserting a presence in the New World were becoming increasingly evident. Aware of this moment as opportune for his political career, Essex engaged in a period of intense personal campaigning during the latter half of 1595— campaigning that, significantly, involved two theatrical entertainments produced for Queen Elizabeth I. These dramatic spectacles took place in the final weeks of 1595, and in both, Essex encouraged the queen to endorse his vision for a more internationally assertive England. Disciplines European History | European Languages and Societies | Literature in English, Anglophone outside British Isles and North America | Political History Comments This is a book chapter from Essex: The Life and Times of an Elizabethan Courtier (2013): 81. Posted with permission. This book chapter is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/engl_pubs/33 Published in Essex: The Cultural Impact of an Elizabethan Courtier. Eds. Annaliese Connolly and Lisa Hopkins. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2013; 81–97. Essex’s International Agenda in 1595 and His Device of the Indian Prince Linda Shenk In the fall of 1595, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was poised to attain political greatness, and he knew it. The international political climate had become sufficiently precarious that a statesman with Essex‘s particular expertise in foreign intelligence and military matters possessed skills well-tailored to address England’s current crises. Spain was once again preparing to invade, this time with an armada greater than in 1588; relations with England’s key ally France were cooling; and the financial and military advantages of asserting a presence in the New World were becoming increasingly evident. Aware of this moment as opportune for his political career, Essex engaged in a period of intense personal campaigning during the latter half of 1595— campaigning that, significantly, involved two theatrical entertainments produced for Queen Elizabeth I. These dramatic spectacles took place in the final weeks of 1595, and in both, Essex encouraged the queen to endorse his vision for a more internationally assertive England. Essex sponsored the first of these two entertainments for Elizabeth on her Accession Day (17 November) with action that began on the tiltyard and continued after supper with a device scholars have titled Of Love and Self-Love. This interlude used the language of love to portray Essex as a selflessly devoted pupil of his queen’s wisdom, and it deftly acknowledged two of Elizabeth’s recent displays of erudition that were steeped in international politics, particularly Anglo-French relations.i Essex used this device to present himself as the candidate whose expertise in foreign affairs made him the most qualified to serve as Elizabeth’s next Principal Secretary. During this same period, he entertained the queen a second time with a piece that scholars often refer to as the device of the Indian prince. This interlude, again focused on love, is