Home > Charles Blount, 1st Earl of Devon

The grandson of William Blount, Charles became the most notable of the later holders of the dukedom. The favour which his youthful good looks procured for him from Queen Elizabeth I of England aroused the jealousy of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and led to a duel between the two courtiers, who later became close friends. Between 1586 and 1598 Charles spent a lot of time on the continent, serving in the Netherlands and in Brittany. He joined Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh in their expedition to the Azores in 1597, along with his distant cousin, Sir Christopher Blount (1565-1601). (Christopher had married Essex's mother, Lettice Knollys, the Countess of Essex, and he was afterwards executed for complicity in Essex's treasonIn law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to one's nation. A person who reneges on an oath of loyalty or a pledge of allegiance, and in some way willfully cooperates with an enemy, is considered to be a traitor . Oran's Dictionary of the Law ( 1983) defi.) In 1600Events January January 1 Scotland adopts January 1st as being New Year's Day February February 17 Giordano Bruno burned in a stake for heresy July July 2 Battle of Nieuwpoort: Dutch forces under Maurice of Nassau defeat Spanish forces under Archduke Alber Mountjoy went to Ireland as lord deputy in succession to Essex, where he succeeded in suppressing the rebellion of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone , whom Essex had failed to subdue.

In July 1601For other uses, see Number 1601. Events February 8 Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Elizabeth I of England revolt is quickly crushed February 25 Robert Devereux beheaded Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China Bad harvest in Russia due to r Mountjoy made himself master of Lough FoyleLough Foyle Loch Feabhail in Irish) is the name given to the estuary of the River Foyle. It starts where the Foyle leaves the City of Derry. It separates the Malin peninsula from Northern Ireland. In the summer time, a ferry service operates between Count, and in the following December he defeated O'Neill's Spanish auxiliaries at KinsaleKinsale ( Irish: Cionn tSaile is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is located south of Cork City on the coast near The Old Head of Kinsale. See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland Towns in Cork., and drove them out of the country. In 1602 the earl of Tyrone made his submission to Mountjoy in DublinThis article is about the city in Ireland. For other uses of the name, see Dublin (disambiguation). Dublin ( Irish: Baile Atha Cliath is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mou; and after the accession of James IJames VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) ( 19 June 1566 27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 in 1603 Mountjoy continued in office with the more distinguished title of Lord-Lieutenant (1603 - 1606).

Returning to England, Lord Mountjoy served as one of Sir Walter Raleigh's judges in 1603; and in the same year James made him master of the ordnanceThe Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO was an important British military position before 1855, when its duties were largely abolished. Usually held by a serving General, the Master-General of the Ordnance was responsible for all British artillery, engine and created him Earl of Devonshire, also granting him extensive estates.

About 1590 Mountjoy took as his mistress Penelope, wife of Lord Rich and sister of Essex. After the execution of her brother in 1601, Lady Rich divorced her husband in the ecclesiastical courts. Mountjoy, by whom she had already had several children, married her in 1605 in a ceremony conducted by his chaplain, William Laud, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury. As he left no legitimate children the Earl's titles became extinct at his death.