About book Elizabeth's Spymaster: Francis Walsingham And The Secret War That Saved England (2007)
The icing on the cake for those hooked on Tudor history. This lurking figure has been portrayed as a sinister presence at Elizabeth's court, but one who saved her oft rocky reign from doom and disaster on many occasions. We learn more here about why Gloriana's reign involved such diplomatic intrigue and tightrope walking.Walsingham's brilliant if callous ensnarement of Mary Queen of Scots, heading her entrapment and setting her up under escalating political necessity, is engrossingly fleshed out to the last detail in this biography. We also read of his intelligence operations penetrating foreign military preparation of the ultimately unsuccessful Spanish Armada.Walsingham rose from near obscurity, albeit from a well-connected family of gentry. On leaving university aged twenty he travelled Europe before embarking on a career in law. Returning from self-imposed exile in France on Catholic Queen ('Bloody') Mary I's demise, he was elected to Elizabeth's first parliament in 1559. He became ambassador to France in the 1570s, witnessing the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, an experience permanently reinforcing his anti-Catholic stance.A high profile pro-Protestant in a post-reformation England constantly threatened by reinstatement of Catholicism, he became one of an elite diplomatic inner circle.His 'cabinet' directed the Elizabethan state and oversaw foreign, domestic and religious policy. As Elizabeth's principal secretary he supported exploration, colonisation, English maritime strength and the plantation of Ireland. He successfully worked towards uniting England and Scotland under one crown.Readers of all things Elizabethan must surely cherish this book. Neither an especially charismatic nor sympathetic character to document, Walsingham is deftly humanised by the erudite Robert Hutchinson whose less florid narrative style than that of some 'popular historians' rewards the reading effort.The crucial extra dimension for readers of this period.
Sadly, I found this book surprisingly inacessible. I had hoped for an understanding of Walsingham's life and work - which I got - but I was not expected the author to assume that I was so steeped in modern warfare and espionage to understand that a "dead letter" was a person who received correspondance on your behalf, or any number of other troubling assumptions about my knowledge of such things.Additionally, I'm chagrined to admit that the archaic English in Walsingham's correspondances was difficult for me to distinguish, though that was helped along by the author's attempt to be helpful. Almost every sentence contained bracketed words intended to indicate what was missing, or to put the term into modern parlance. I found these frustrating and not at all helpful, as I would have been better able to understand the text had it retained some semblance of flow.Still, I did get what I was looking for: much of the book does concern Walsingham's life.
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A interesting account of the one of the main pillars of Elizabeth Tudor's reign. Although he was not in any way a sympathetic character being ruthless, very cunning and I suppose almost 20th century in his pursuit of ends regardless of the means, he defended the Queen and country against the Catholic powers' attempts at regime change. Apologists try to play down the dangers presented by Roman catholic Kings, terrorists and agents, egged on by the Papacy but they presented a real threat to the established order and a risk of bringing back the horrors of Mary Tudor's persecution of Protestants.
—Richard Thomas
A telling insight into the life of Elizabeth I spymaster Francis Walsingham. Though a little dry in places, and sometimes repetitive, I found this fairly easy to read. It gave a fairly complete background to the person entrusted to keeping the dread spectre of catholisism from returning to England during Elizabeth's reign. Whilst giving an account of the methods used, and how he worked, this book also gives an insight into the trials and tribulations of dealing with a monarch who was reluctant to let too much money out of the Royal coffers. The chapter dealing with the entrapment of Mary, and her subsequent trial and execution is particularly informative. A good read for lovers of history.
—Ian
Another fantastic read by Hutchinson. Walsingham is a rather elusive figure that was hugely instrumental in enacting many of the pivotal events of the Elizabethan period.Hutchinson delves into this fascinating character, painting a man of religious devotion (Elizabeth I describing him as a "rank Puritan") and intellectual genius (being the powerhouse behind the discovery of the Babington plot and contributing to the defeat of the Spanish Armada through means such as working with foreign banks and monitoring Spanish annual revenue). This in many respects this is a book of his career although it does also touch upon his family life and personal relationships, particularly his fascinatingly tumultuous relationship with the Queen.Hutchinson further provides an interesting assessment of his character remarking that "sixty years on he might have felt comfortable in the humourless Puritan Republican Commonwealth of Cromwell".Overall a very interesting and insightful book worth reading as it provides an insight into one of the most influential politicians of the period. It is particularly refreshing to read about the period without excessive focus on events from Elizabeth I's perspective.
—Anna
