The Reputation of Robert Cecil

By any standards, Robert Cecil had a glittering career. Son of Lord Burghley, Lord Treasurer of Queen Elizabeth, he joined the Privy Council as its youngest member aged twenty-eight, in July 1591, became Principal Secretary in 1596 and Master of the Court of Wards in 1599. His preparations ensured the trouble-free accession in 1603 of James VI of Scotland to the English throne, and in 1604 he negotiated peace with Spain. Created Earl of Salisbury in 1605, Cecil became Lord Treasurer in 1608.

By holding the secretaryship, the Wards and the treasurership all at once, Cecil surpassed his father and achieved an unparalleled concentration of power. However, the crown was facing a financial crisis and his efforts to raise additional funds were widely resented. In addition, the religious and foreign policies of James I, which Cecil was charged with implementing, were often unpopular. In 1610 he failed to obtain parliamentary consent to the Great Contract, his visionary plan for a fundamental reform of the crown's finances, and died two years later.