Southampton, Earl of
NAME: Southampton, Henry Wriothesley, Earl of.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Shakespeare’s patron
NICKNAME/ALIAS: None.
DATE/PLACE OF BIRTH: 6th October 1573, in Cowdray, Sussex, England.
DATE/PLACE OF DEATH/AGE AT DEATH: 10th November 1624, in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands. Aged 51.
DISCIPLINE: Aristocrat and poet.
FIELD: Literature.
LANGUAGE: English.
PARENTS: Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton and Mary Browne.
SIBLINGS: Lady Mary Wriothesley.
SPOUSE: Elizabeth Vernon.
CHILDREN: James, Thomas, Penelope, Anne, Elizabeth.
EDUCATION: Private tutors. St John's College, Cambridge University. Gray's Inn, London.
MAJOR WORK: None.
LIFE AND TIMES: When Southampton was eight, his father died and <brought up by> Cecil* (Lord Burghley), First Minister to Queen Elizabeth, took over his upbringing. He was sent to St John's College, Cambridge, then to Gray's Inn law school in London, before he was presented to <courtier to> Queen Elizabeth* at court and became a follower of her favourite, the <follower of> Earl of Essex*.
In 1591, he got as far as Dieppe when he tried to become part of the Earl's expedition to fight for Henry of Navarre against the Catholic League. On his return, he became a generous patron of writers, and <patron of> Shakespeare* dedicated "Venus and Adonis" (1593) and "The Rape of Lucrece" (1594) to him.
It is thought that the character of Leander in <subject of work by> Marlowe*'s poem, "Hero and Leander", is based on Southampton, and many other writers dedicated work to him as a token of their gratitude for his generosity as a patron.
At court, Cecil had attempted to marry Southampton to his grand-daughter, but Southampton preferred Essex’s cousin, Elizabeth Vernon, who was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.
In 1596, Essex went on a military expedition to Cadiz and Southampton wanted to go with him. The Queen, concerned about succession to title, refused to allow any aristocrats without heirs to place themselves in danger, but somehow, the following year, Southampton took command of a ship in Essex’s fleet, joining high-ranking men such as <expedition with> Raleigh* in an expedition to the Azores.
In 1598 despite protests from his mistress, Elizabeth Vernon, Southampton left for a two year ambassadorship in Paris, with Robert Cecil, Burghley's son. Soon after, he heard that Elizabeth was pregnant so he came back and secretly married her. When the Queen found out, she imprisoned them briefly to show her displeasure at marrying without her permission.
Southampton was now out of favor with the Queen. When he joined Essex in Ireland in 1599, he was made General of Horse, but the Queen refused to confirm the appointment and demanded that he return to England immediately. When Essex returned, Elizabeth had him imprisoned after a quarrel and when Essex was released, he started to plan an uprising. Southampton joined the Essex supporters in their aim to displace the ministers and courtiers close to Elizabeth, and take power.
On 8th February 1601, they went to the Globe Theatre to see Shakespeare's "Richard II", which featured a scene where a monarch was deposed. The following morning, Southampton and Essex rode to the city to begin the rebellion. It was a complete failure. They were both arrested, imprisoned in the Tower of London until the 19th February, then tried and found guilty of treason.
Southampton was sentenced to death by beheading but, luckily, Cecil stepped in to defend him, and his sentence was reduced to life. Two years later, Elizabeth died and her successor, James I, released him and re-instated his title and estates. Soon after, he was made a Knight of the Garter, and given Carisbrooke Castle, along with the Captaincy of the Isle of Wight.
Southampton now led the life of a prominent nobleman and continued his support for literature, often entertaining Queen Anne at his home with the group of actors, The King’s Men, which included <employed> Burbage* and Shakespeare. In London, he sat in the House of Lords, and in the country he carried out the duties of Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire and Governor of the Isle of Wight.
After peace with Spain was established in 1604, maritime expeditions came back into fashion and Southampton joined one to Virginia in 1605. Four years later, he was admitted to the Virginia Company's Council, and to the <member of> East India Company*, and in 1613 he joined the North West Passage Company after supporting explorer <supported> Hudson*. The following year, he helped finance Edward Harlow's voyage to the New England coast.
Southampton fell out with James I in 1619 because he was sceptical of the King’s favourite, the Duke of Buckingham, but he was soon back in favour and was made a Privy Councillor. In 1624, he volunteered to raise troops to fight the Protestant cause against the Catholic German Emperor in the Netherlands.
Shortly after being given military command by the Council of War, both Southampton and his son went to Bergen op Zoom, in the Netherlands and, not long after they arrived, they both died of the plague.
ASSESSMENT: Southampton is remembered for his generous literary patronage and his connections with William Shakespeare.
EXTRA CONNECTIONS: None.
ONELINER: Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare’s patron
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Rowse, A.L., Shakespeare's Southampton, Patron of Virginia, Macmillan, London, 1965.