Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury

The Earl of Salisbury
The Earl of Salisbury by John de Critz the Elder c. 1602
Lord High Treasurer
In office
4 May 1608 – 24 May 1612
MonarchJames I
Preceded byThe Earl of Dorset
Succeeded byThe Earl of Northampton (as First Lord)
Lord Privy Seal
In office
1598–1608
MonarchsElizabeth I
James I
Preceded byThe Lord Burghley
Succeeded byThe Earl of Northampton
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
8 October 1597 – 1599
MonarchElizabeth I
Preceded byIn commission
Succeeded byIn commission
Secretary of State
In office
5 July 1596 – 24 May 1612
MonarchsElizabeth I
James I
Preceded byWilliam Davison
Succeeded byJohn Herbert
Personal details
Born1 June 1563
Westminster, London, England
Died24 May 1612(1612-05-24) (aged 48)
Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
SpouseElizabeth Brooke
Children2, including William
Parent(s)William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
Mildred Cooke
Residence(s)Hatfield House
Salisbury House
Cranborne Manor
Alma materSt John's College, Cambridge
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Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC (1 June 1563 – 24 May 1612) was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the Secretary of State of England (1596–1612) and Lord High Treasurer (1608–1612), succeeding his father as Queen Elizabeth I's Lord Privy Seal and remaining in power during the first nine years of King James I's reign until his own death.[1]

The principal discoverer of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Robert Cecil remains a controversial historic figure as it is still debated at what point he first learned of the plot and to what extent he acted as an agent provocateur.

  1. ^ "Robert Cecil, 1st earl of Salisbury | English statesman". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 10 February 2018.