Anthony Bacon (1558 - May 1601) was an English gentleman. He was the eldest son of Nicholas and Anne Bacon, brother of Francis Bacon, and a nephew of William Cecil. Bacon was a learned man. Bacon led a scandal-ridden life, owing in part to his homosexuality. He was charged with sodomy on at least one occasion. He was a member of the household of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, until the latter was convicted of treason. Three months after the execution of Essex, Bacon died in mysterious circumstances which have been the cause of much speculation.
In 1598, Captain Baltasar Guzmán of the Spanish army discovered evidence that Anthony Bacon was a "sodomite" and went to arrest him. Bacon eluded arrest, fled England with his young lover Tom, and found asylum at the court of King Christian IV of Denmark. He did not participate in the overthrow of Isabella and Albert.
