Edward de Vere (1550-1604)

Children - three daughters and two sons

## About

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. He was born on April 12, 1550, in Castle Hedingham, Essex, England, and died on June 24, 1604, in Newington, Middlesex. Oxford was the heir to the second-oldest earldom in the kingdom and a court favourite for a time. He was also a sought-after patron of the arts, and noted by his contemporaries as a lyric poet and theatre patron. Oxford employed John Lyly, the author of the novel Euphues, as his secretary for many years and gave the lease of Blackfriars Theatre to him. Although mentioned as part of the group-authorship theories of the mid-1800s, that Oxford might be the sole primary author of Shakespeare’s plays was first advanced in a major way in “Shakespeare” Identified in Edward de Vere, the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford (1920), a study by J. Thomas Looney. Looney argued that Oxford wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front to protect his family from the social stigma attached to the stage. However, this theory is not widely accepted by scholars, and there is no conclusive evidence to support it.

## Early Life and Education

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604) was born on April 12, 1550, at Castle Hedingham in Essex. He was the only son of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, and his second wife, Margery Golding. He was raised in the Protestant reformed faith. After his father's death in 1562, he became a ward of Queen Elizabeth I and her principal advisor, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. He received legal training at Gray's Inn after having attended Queen's College, Cambridge, and was awarded Master of Arts degrees by Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He was tutored by Laurence Nowell, one of the founders of Anglo-Saxon studies, and learned French, Latin, penmanship, and dancing.

## Career

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604) was an accomplished poet and playwright. He was a patron of the arts and a court favourite for a time. He was also a ward of Queen Elizabeth I and her principal advisor, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. He was married to Cecil's daughter, Anne. After the death of his father, he became the 17th Earl of Oxford and inherited the second-oldest earldom in England. He was a Protestant and was raised in the reformed faith. Some scholars have proposed that he was the true author of Shakespeare's plays, although this theory is controversial.

## Personal Life

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604) was an only son in an aristocratic family with a long, unbroken lineage. After the death of his father in 1562, he became a ward of Queen Elizabeth I and was sent to live in the household of her principal advisor, Sir William Cecil. He married Cecil's daughter, Anne, with whom he had five children. He was a champion jouster, a court favourite, and a generous patron of the arts. However, his prodigal and erratic behaviour prevented any real responsibility, and he eventually fell out of favour with the Queen and was exiled from the court. He died in 1604, having lost all of his estates, just as new opportunities were presenting themselves with the newly crowned James I.

## Relationships

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was married twice and had children with both of his wives. His first wife was Anne Cecil, daughter of Queen Elizabeth I's principal advisor, Sir William Cecil. They had five children together. After Anne's death in 1588, he married Elizabeth Trentham, one of the Queen's maids of honour, with whom he had one son, Henry.

## Controversies

Edward de Vere (1550-1604) is a controversial figure in the literary world, with some scholars proposing that he was the true author of Shakespeare's plays. This theory is based on various pieces of evidence, including similarities between the plays and de Vere's life experiences, as well as the fact that some plays were first performed at venues associated with de Vere. However, this theory is not widely accepted, and most scholars believe that Shakespeare was the true author of the plays. In addition to the authorship controversy, there are also questions about de Vere's burial place, as there is no grave marker for him and some records suggest that he may have been buried in secret. Finally, there is a psychoanalytic study of de Vere's play “The Tempest,” which suggests that the play reflects de Vere's own psychological struggles.

## Filmography

There is a TV film titled “Edward de Vere” that was released in 1990. The film is based on the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, who was a patron of the arts and a noted poet and playwright. The film explores the theory that de Vere was the true author of Shakespeare's plays, although this theory is controversial. Additionally, there is a film titled “Anonymous” that was released in 2011, which is also based on the life of Edward de Vere.