Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (12 April 1550 – 24 June 1604) was an English nobleman, courtier, poet, and playwright of the English Renaissance. He was a prominent figure at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England and played a notable role in Elizabethan culture, both politically and artistically. His life was marked by literary creativity, personal scandal, and fluctuating favour at court.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Edward de Vere was born at Hedingham Castle in Essex on 12 April 1550, the only son of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford and Margery Golding. He inherited the earldom at the age of twelve following his father’s death, becoming one of the wealthiest and most influential young nobles in England; Contemporary records suggest his annual income exceeded £2,000, placing him among the higher tier of the Elizabethan nobility. During his minority, he became the ward of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, Queen Elizabeth’s chief advisor, who played a key role in shaping his early education and courtly upbringing.
His wardship also meant that much of the Oxford inheritance was managed by Cecil, leading to tensions in later years when Edward accused his father-in-law of mismanagement. Nonetheless, Cecil ensured that Edward was placed among England’s most promising youths, training him not only in the classics but also in horsemanship, music, and rhetoric—skills central to a Renaissance courtier. Contemporary accounts suggest he was precocious, quick-tempered, and highly confident, with a sense of aristocratic entitlement befitting one of England’s oldest noble families.
Education and early court life[]
Edward received a rigorous humanist education typical of the English aristocracy, including instruction in Latin, Greek, literature, and law. His education fostered a lifelong engagement with literature and poetry, laying the foundation for his contributions to the English Renaissance. By his late teens, Edward had entered Elizabethan court life, participating in tournaments, patronage, and cultural events. He gained a reputation for charm, wit, and flamboyant behaviour, but also for recklessness, including a fencing accident in which a servant died; he victim was William Cecil's cook, and de Vere was acquitted, with the coroner's jury declaring the cook's death a suicide by falling onto the sword.
Oxford was known for his skill in jousting and horsemanship, earning a reputation at court for his equestrian abilities. He was considered an excellent jouster and participant in tilts.
Oxford’s early years at court were also marked by extensive travel. In 1575, he embarked on a grand tour of Europe, visiting France, Germany, and Italy, where he immersed himself in continental culture, courtly practices, and theatre. His Italian sojourn, especially in Venice, left an indelible impression on his imagination, visible in the Italianate settings, plots, and cultural references of his surviving works and those of playwrights he patronised. His flamboyance abroad further reinforced his image as a cosmopolitan but extravagant figure upon his return.
Marriage and personal life[]
In 1571, Edward married Anne Cecil, daughter of his guardian William Cecil. The marriage was politically advantageous but personally turbulent. Edward’s extravagant lifestyle, infidelities, and disputes over inheritance and legitimacy of heirs caused periods of estrangement from Anne and her father. He was also involved in a notorious affair with Anne Vavasour, a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth, resulting in a brief scandal and his temporary fall from royal favour. Despite these controversies, Edward maintained some access to court and literary circles.
The affair with Anne Vavasour, was among the most notorious scandals of Oxford’s life. In March 1581, Vavasour gave birth to his illegitimate son, Edward Vere, causing a public scandal that led to the imprisonment of both mother and child in the Tower of London. Oxford himself was confined to the Tower for a time, and the episode provoked violent feuds between the Oxford and Knyvet families, relatives of Vavasour, resulting in duels and street brawls that plagued London for years. Servants of both houses died in the conflict. In March 1582, the conflict culminated in a duel between Oxford and Sir Thomas Knyvet, during which Oxford received a severe leg wound, leaving him lame. Although Oxford eventually returned to court life, his reputation never fully recovered from the episode.
His marriage to Anne Cecil, though politically strategic, was deeply strained. Edward initially doubted the paternity of his first child, Elizabeth, causing lasting rifts within the family. Despite reconciliations, his relationship with his wife was marred by absences, accusations, and scandal. After Anne’s death in 1588, Oxford would remarry, to Elizabeth Trentham, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, with whom he had his heir Henry de Vere. This union was more stable and provided him with renewed social standing at court, even as his financial situation grew precarious.
Literary career[]
Edward de Vere was a poet, playwright, and patron of the arts, contributing to the flourishing Elizabethan literary scene. He wrote plays, lyric poetry, and masques for private court performance. Many historians and literary scholars have debated his possible influence on or authorship of works traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare. Supposed "Oxfordian Authorship" of Shakespeare is, nonetheless, a fringe theory that is refuted by the majority of Shakespearean scholars. Regardless, he was recognised by contemporaries for his poetic skill, wit, and erudition.
He was a noted patron of writers such as Arthur Golding (his uncle and translator of Ovid’s Metamorphoses), John Lyly, and Anthony Munday, who contributed significantly to the development of Elizabethan drama. Several of his own poems were published anonymously or circulated in manuscript, praised for their sophistication and melancholy tone. Contemporary critics such as Francis Meres listed him among England’s best for comedy and poetry. His household became a hub for musicians, playwrights, and intellectuals, ensuring his legacy as a catalyst of the Elizabethan literary flowering, even if much of his own dramatic output is now lost.
Later life and death[]
In his later years, Edward struggled with financial difficulties, extravagant spending, and declining influence at court. He reconciled with Queen Elizabeth in 1583, but many political and cultural opportunities had been lost. He continued writing and patronising the arts until his death on 24 June 1604 at King’s Place, Hackney. He was succeeded by his son, though much of his enormous fortune had been dissipated.
By the turn of the century, Oxford was largely retired from public life, overshadowed by a younger generation of courtiers and writers. Despite this, he retained a modest but loyal circle of literary admirers who continued to view him as a figure of refined culture. His declining health, compounded by years of financial strain and earlier excesses, led to a relatively quiet final chapter.
At his death in 1604, he left behind not only a contested legacy as a poet and dramatist but also a reputation as one of Elizabethan England’s most enigmatic noblemen. Oxford was buried in the parish church of St. Augustine, Hackney, though the exact location of his grave is now lost due to later rebuilding.
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