'The Earl of Essex' is a five-act play written by Henry Jones. It is a reimagination of the life of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. The real life figure was an English nobleman and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599. In 1601, he led an abortive coup d'état against the government of Elizabeth I and was executed for treason.