Sir Francis Walsingham: A Courtier in an Age of Terror (Hardcover)

~ Derek Wilson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

During the brief reign of the Queen Mary, Francis Walsingham was a Protestant exile in Italy. Returning home when Elizabeth assumed the throne, from 1570 he became a diplomat to the arch-pragmatist queen. He was often troubled by her inconsistent policy decisions and for allowing the exile in England of Mary Queen of Scots. His triumph came in 1587 when Mary was at last beheaded after the cunning defeat of the Babington plot. A powerful, if enigmatic figure, loathed by his adversaries and deeply admired by friends and allies, Walsingham became the master coordinator of a feared pan-European spy network. His spies underpinned his organization of national resistance to the Spanish Armada, but devotion and duty to Elizabeth was costly, and Walsingham died two years later in penury. Historian and storyteller Derek Wilson delves deeply into the life of a fascinating and highly influential figure, bringing us tales of deceit, betrayal, and loyalty along the way; popular history of the highest caliber.

About the Author

Derek Wilson is a prolific author and is best known for his historical works such as the award-winning The Circumnavigators, In the Lion's Court, and most recently, All the King's Women. He is married with three adult children, and works from his homes in Devon, England and Normandy, France. To learn more about him and his current and forthcoming activities, visit his website: www.derekwilson.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786720875
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720873
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #408,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not much new in this biography, October 28, 2007

By	lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This biography written by Derek Wilson on Sir Francis Walsingham appears to be half-baked for the movie that just came out called "Elizabeth: The Golden Age, a historical fantasy movie where Sir Francis is the center stage as principle advisor to the queen. As it is written, the author didn't appear to make any great effort in this biography, most of the information given seems to be bit redundant. When I say that word, it basically means that if you read any serious book on Elizabeth I or any book related to that subject, you have basically read this book as well. The author appears to be repeating what is already written before hand and just centered the book around Sir Francis Walsingham. Thus, the book lacks insight and fresh information on a man who played an very important part during the last half of Elizabeth's reign. For the first half of the book, the main subject matter appears to be historical background material to up to the time when Walsingham finally become a major player. The author insert his name here and there to keep us honest.

It could be that there isn't that much information on Sir Francis Walsingham or the author didn't put much effort in finding any. What you got instead is a rather generic facts and figures on Walsingham that you can probably pick up if you read an excellent biography on Elizabeth. The crux of the book lies around Walsingham's snare of Mary, Queen of Scots and crushing of Sir Anthony Babbington's conspiracy. Of course, this episode have been retold many times and ironically speaking, this book doesn't add anything more to it. (Funny but you can probably get more from watching that episode from Elizabeth R regarding this incident!)

In some ways, this book is very familiar to another book published earlier titled "Her Majesty's Spymaster by Stephen Budiansky. I took that author to task because he could have written a nice biography on Walsingham in that book but didn't, something this author tried to do but failed. If you need which one to pick to read on Walsingham at this time, I would recommend Budiansky's book since it better written and got more information on subject at hand.