Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Afterward, when the Seine flowed with corpses and thousands were dead, there were some who said that if only the assassin had not bungled his..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rising from humble roots, Sir Francis Walsingham is a model of a certain type of Elizabethan figure, thriving at an innovative court that preferred service by men of talent rather than by the high nobility. As Queen Elizabeth's secretary of the Privy Council, Walsingham coordinated a number of official and unofficial spy networks, historian Budiansky relates in this fresh look at the Virgin Queen's reign. Corresponding equally with ambassadors and shadowy informants, supervising code breakers and couriers, teaching himself the rules of watching and waiting, Walsingham developed influential models for the roles of secretary and spymaster. Additionally, according to Budiansky, at a time when religion was very much intertwined with both internal and external politics, he proved an early example of the political mindset that put national devotion above religious sentiment. Diplomatic intrigue and attempted conspiracies are natural threads to weave through the stories of Elizabeth's marriage negotiations; her struggle to create a religious settlement; her rivalry with Mary, Queen of Scots; and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Even readers who are already versed in Elizabeth's reign will find Budiansky's new angles on a much-examined era enlightening. (Aug. 22)
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From The Washington Post

At her trial in 1586, the doomed Mary Queen of Scots challenged her chief accuser, Sir Francis Walsingham, to show the court the documents that proved she had been plotting to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I from her prison cell. If such evidence existed, why had it not been produced? "I have a right to demand to see the originals and the copies side by side," Mary said. "It is quite possible that my ciphers have been tampered with by my enemies. I cannot reply to this accusation without full knowledge. Until then, I must content myself with affirming solemnly that I am not guilty of the crimes imputed to me."

Mary, however, had badly underestimated Walsingham, master of Elizabeth's intelligence service. Not only had he intercepted and copied every one of Mary's letters to and from the alleged conspirators, which were in due course produced as evidence. He also presented the court with "facsimiles" of key incriminating documents. All her correspondence to and fro had been secretly monitored for months. His agents had made copies of any letters that might subsequently be used in evidence against her, then resealed the originals and allowed them to pass on to their destination. The surreptitious copies were so faithful that when they were produced during interrogation, Mary's servants -- who had carefully destroyed the incriminating originals -- broke down and confessed all.

Too late, Mary protested that it was "an easy matter to counterfeit the ciphers and characters of others" and she was "afraid this was done by Walsingham" to ensure her conviction. Walsingham was unabashed. He had only done what was necessary to protect the English queen and ensure the safety of her person and the realm. The court was persuaded of Mary's guilt, sentence was duly passed and she was executed the following February.

In Her Majesty's Spymaster, Stephen Budiansky retells the story of how "intelligencers" working for Queen Elizabeth's senior ministers ensnared enemies of the state. He justifies going over this well-trodden territory on the grounds that Walsingham originated the idea of a network of secret agents reporting to a single controller. In our own surveillance-obsessed era, it is of interest to discover the roots of modern spy networks.

In fact, the Elizabethan state as a whole was obsessed with collecting intelligence -- every possible sort of information that might give the statesman power over English men and women. Elizabeth's subjects lived in what was effectively a police state, their every move monitored for any sign of political or religious dissent. Lords Burleigh and Walsingham, the Earls of Leicester and Essex, all vied with one another for the most efficient information-gathering team of agents. Sir Francis Bacon and his brother Anthony were among the many men-about-court who were recruited as spies by one faction or another.

The days when heads of intelligence services like Walsingham could behave in the unscrupulous way that brought about Mary's downfall are long gone. Today neither the CIA nor MI5 would have the political confidence or executive independence to act with that kind of panache, on the assumption that intercepting privileged correspondence, counterfeiting evidence and interfering with witnesses were all permissible to protect the interests of the head of state. However heinous are today's crimes (9/11 or the London bombings), the search for perpetrators has to be conducted scrupulously, following due process and according suspects their full civil rights. Perhaps the contrast between now and then explains why modern readers are intrigued by historical accounts about Elizabeth I's spymasters. The stories are reminiscent of cold-war spy thrillers -- we're diverted and entertained by the chess-game moves, as agents and counter-agents trap unsuspecting victims.

Budiansky does his best to convince the reader that this really is a world still relevant to us today. He tells the tale of Walsingham and his spies with all the bravura of a historical novelist. His accounts of events and personalities associated with Elizabethan espionage are full of suspense and melodrama. In the end, though, Her Majesty's Spymaster is no truer to the murky political world of Elizabethan England than the movie "Shakespeare in Love" was to the historical reality of Shakespeare's life. All doublet and hose and swashbuckling machismo, written in a breathless, archaic style reminiscent of historians of 50 years ago, Budiansky's book panders unashamedly to our fondness for nostalgia.

As an academic who specializes in the Tudor period, I find it hard to take Her Majesty's Spymaster seriously as history, but it is written in a racy, popular style that may capture the imagination of the general reader. Those who find comfort in the idea that Elizabethan England was a place of starched ruffs, conspiracy and romance may well enjoy the book's rehearsal of familiar themes. After all, in spite of its corniness and inaccuracy, and a good deal of caviling and head-shaking from Shakespeare scholars, "Shakespeare in Love" went on to become a worldwide box-office success.

Reviewed by Lisa Jardine
Copyright 2005, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Viking; 1st edition (August 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670034266
• ISBN-13: 978-0670034260
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,356 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tale of intrigue, September 2, 2005

By	Wayne Klein "If at first the idea is not absu... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

In the 16th century England was at a crossroads. She couldn't possibly hope to match the sheer man power or size of the fleets at sea and hope to dominant world affairs. England would always end up playing catch up with Spain, France and other European powers with better resources. Intelligence and spying seemed to offer the key to help the islands in the Atlantic to dominate the world of politics. Queen Elizabeth turned to people like Sir Francis Walsingham.

Walsingham may not have invented spying or been the ultimate spymaster but he honed it to a fine art as did others in Queen Elizabeth's court. This was the time when monarchy was absolute rule after all and anything hinting at dissent was met swiftly and usually resulted in death. Author Stephen Budiansky has made this period fascinating by grafting a breezy style to this story. While people think they know a lot about the Elizabethan era in England, usually it's bits and pieces gleaned from studying Shakespeare or a course in college on the history of England during this time. The spying and doublecrosses that went on during this era are largely unknown to the average reader and, as a result, this may prove enlightening and entertaining.

This isn't written for academics. Like a lot of history books written for popular consumption this book escapes the dry, stilted text that makes you feel like you're buried in undergraduate classes again and it does bring to light an era largely forgotten by others and it makes it exciting. Based on what I know of the period, Budiansky does a good job with his scholarship and manages to make history---gasp!---entertaining as well as enlightening.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Before there was M, there was Walsingham, September 25, 2005

By	Mark R., Whittington "author of Children of A... (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the remarkable story of the man who invented the craft of intelligence almost four hundred and fifty years ago. Walsingham's methods would have been suitable for any intelligence organization in the Cold War. In fact, he might have performed better than some of the actual intelligence people of our own time. The book is told in an easy to read style, with contex explained for the times in which Walsingham lived and worked. The book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the Elizabethian era and/or the history of espionoge.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reads Like a Modern Spy Novel, September 11, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In a time of an abosolute monarch, the court revolves around people who specialize in providing that monarch with what she wants. Walsingham obviously supplied Elizabeth with what she wanted. Using techniques that sound like they come from a James Bond novel, he was able to set up an intelligence network that gave the queen proof of the actions of traitors, vital information about the Spanish Armada, and more. He did this without the nicieties of Miranda warnings, or search warrents, his men opened the mail and copyed letters (especially bad for Mary Queen of Scots).

Mr. Budiansky's writing style is open and easy. It reads fast, not like a history book. There are no footnotes (but there are some notes at the back of the book), there's not even an index (sorely missed if you want to look up something like where does he talk about Dudley).

I'm not so sure that Walsingham's spy networks fit into today's world quite as easily as he believes. Then again during World War II with the 'Man Who Wasn't There,' and other activities, maybe it was pretty close.