'Rob Devereux, Earl of Essex, 1601', 1784. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, (1565-1601), English nobleman and favourite of Elizabeth I. Put under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599. In 1601, he led an abortive coup d'?tat against the government and was executed for treason. From "The History of England" by Paul de Rapin-Thoyras. [Harrison, London, England]