Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex KG (10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) is an English nobleman and a favorite of Elizabeth I.

Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he is placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599.

In 1601 he leads an abortive coup d'état against the government and is executed for treason.