Will
Active Member
Elizabeth's Spy Master : Francis Walsingham and the secret war that saved England by Robert Hutchinson
This was a really interesting read, not just for those interested in British history, but also in the history of diplomacy/spying/cloak and dagger stuff goign on in the background. Walsingham was the father of the modern spy, but you got to see that alot of what was going on was far from the glamorous intrigue one might expect.
One thing I found really interesting was how unappreciated his work was. He was kind of taken for granted by Elizabeth, despite his crucial role. I think it's because she trusted him implicitly and knew, like many courtiers who followed her, his interests were so interwoven with her own, he was almost obliged to go above and beyond at all times to ensure his own survival - such was the nature of the beast back then.
For those not familiar with the person of Walsingham, this is the chap who was played by actor Geoffrey Rush in Shekhar Kapur's film 'Elizabeth', and its sequel.
This was a really interesting read, not just for those interested in British history, but also in the history of diplomacy/spying/cloak and dagger stuff goign on in the background. Walsingham was the father of the modern spy, but you got to see that alot of what was going on was far from the glamorous intrigue one might expect.
One thing I found really interesting was how unappreciated his work was. He was kind of taken for granted by Elizabeth, despite his crucial role. I think it's because she trusted him implicitly and knew, like many courtiers who followed her, his interests were so interwoven with her own, he was almost obliged to go above and beyond at all times to ensure his own survival - such was the nature of the beast back then.
For those not familiar with the person of Walsingham, this is the chap who was played by actor Geoffrey Rush in Shekhar Kapur's film 'Elizabeth', and its sequel.