Robert Sidney, 1st earl of Leicester

Robert Sidney, 1st earl of Leicester (born November 19, 1563, Penshurst, Kent, England—died July 13, 1626, Penshurst) was a soldier, diplomatist, and patron of literature. He was the younger brother of Sir Philip Sidney and second son of Sir Henry Sidney, an English lord deputy in Ireland. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, he travelled on the Continent during most of the period 1578–83. In 1585 he entered Parliament, and from 1585 to 1587 he fought...