The son of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, he succeeded his father as Elizabeth I’s chief minister in 1598. He was responsible for ensuring the succession of James I in 1603. He was created Viscount Cranborne (1604) and Earl of Salisbury (1605). He was made Lord Treasurer in 1608 and was faced with crown debts of nearly a million pounds. He increased the king’s income by introducing additional customs duties (impositions) and various other unpopular means.