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| Queen Elizabeth I |
Essex views his involvement in the defense of the King of Portugal, as an obligation to end the oppression of Philip II and "to free both mine Country and our confederates, from the feare or danger of his attempts"[3] He further defends his unsanctioned actions against the Spanish as a necessity because there was no time to consult over a retaliation. Essex's devotion to the English State and its earthly monarch are determined and accomplished by his Protestantism, his renown military leadership, his virtuous and steadfast honor. His chivalric honor is seen in the political arena as well, as he describes the sacrifices he had made in order to maintain his honor: He states in the Apologie:
The reputation of a most faithfull subject and zealous Patriot (which, with hazard of my life and decay of my estate, I have sought to purchase) must not suffer this ougly and odius aspersion, that my actions have caused, maintained, or increased the warres or had ever any such scope or intent[4]
While he is blamed for the continued wars with Spain and abroad, he confesses that his actions were in accordance to his ideology of being a "Patriot" not a warmonger. It is in this dedication to England and that Essex soundly fortifies himself in the self-appointed role as defender of the Elizabethan state.
Essex combined his chivalric ideals with the translations of Roman historians, mainly drawing upon Tacitian histories "Agricola" and "The Ende of Nero" to create a staunch faith in the ability of a noble in his political climate The application of Roman civic ideology and classical ethics is clear early in Essex days at Trinity college. Essex relied on the histories of Rome because they offered “rules and patternes of pollecy are aswell learned out of olde Greeke and Romayne storyes, as out of of states which are at thys daye.[5]” These words will resonates throughout Essex career as he will draw heavily on the works of Tacitus and the Greek philosophical masters to justify his social rank and defense of the justice and virtue of the English state. In the “A.B. To the Reader” of Henry Savile’s translation of Tacitus' The Ende of Nero and Beginning of Galba Fower Bookes of the Histories of Cornelius Tacitus, the prologue note to the reader is assumed to be written by Essex and emphases the importance of history as an exemplar of the Human justice and error. He used the examples of three leaders after the tyranny of Nero who scramble for power. Essex describes Galba as a victim of manipulation, Otho as an irrational reactionary man and praises Vespasian as a well-balanced leader whom employs that "in civil tumults an advised patience, and opportunitie well taken are the onelie weapons of advantage"[6] The earl of Essex concludes that:
under them thou muest see calamities that follow civill warres, when lawes lye sleepe, and all things judged by the sworde. If thou mislike their waires be thankfull for thine owne peace; if thou doest abhorre their tyrannies, love and revrence thine owne wise, just and excellent Prince.[7]
Essex compares the events of Tacitian Roman history to his own politcal climate and assigns the masks of Galba, Otho and others to the players in Elizabeth's court.
When he is confronted with the chastisement of his actions in the Spanish Wars by his "base-born" enemies at court, he defends "that the greatnesse of her Majesties favor must grow out of the greatnesse of her servants merits: & I saw no way of merit lye so open to me as by service in her wars"[8] The Queen's recent conduct under the influence of the Privy Council is an example of “a good prince governened by evill ministers is as dangerous as if hee were evill himselfe" and her Privy Council members indeterminate policies to exemplar of a "rash man ...which rises at an instant, and falles in a moment."[9] The interpretations of Roman civic duty and virtue is found in Essex's An Apologie of the Earle of Essex, against Those Which Iealovsly, and Maliciovsly, Tax Him to Be the Hinderer of the Peace and Qviet of His Covntry when he states that Rome's noblewomen supplied "the common treasure and to maintaine the warres, spoyl themselves of their Jewels and ornaments" and then assails the Elizabethan English state as being "so base a state , as that the people therein will not bestow some part of their superfluous expences to keepe themselves from conquest and slavery"[10] cites a hope that "there is yet left some seede of that auncient Vertue,"[11] which will waken the noble sense of altruistic loyalty and civic honor to end the factionalized disputes within court of intrigue and avarice.
Essex's ideology was a common foundation for early Tudor law and order because the system was dependent upon the "majority of governing class who controlled the principle order-keeping forces available" and "a system of social controls and moral sanctions"[12] However, there were two major points of contention in the Elizabethan reign that undermined the system of aristocratic, chivalric and civic value and virtue: the innate nature of the Queen's gender and the ennobling of men with little achievement outside of their own stellar arrival at court. Essex himself could not fault the Queen herself for inaction in politics because he understood that the personality traits require to do so were not acquainted with the fairer sex. The Queen inactivity in politics and especially in regards to the Spanish War were naturally inclined to timidity, her avoidance of open war; avarice, her reluctance to spend money on the war; and inconsistency, as seen in the constant shift of allegiance from one faction to another , or her indecisiveness with regards to religion. These were the opposite of the courtly virtues plugged in the chivalric tradition.
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