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Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of
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Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage Paperback - 2006

by Stephen Budiansky

In the taut narrative of a spy novel, Budiansky recounts how legendary spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary to Elizabeth I, invented the art and science of modern espionage--and in the process set Elizabethan England on the path to empire.

Summary

Sir Francis Walsingham’s official title was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I, but in fact this pious, tight-lipped Puritan was England’s first spymaster. A ruthless, fiercely loyal civil servant, Walsingham worked brilliantly behind the scenes to foil Elizabeth’s rival Mary Queen of Scots and outwit Catholic Spain and France, which had arrayed their forces behind her. Though he cut an incongruous figure in Elizabeth’s worldly court, Walsingham managed to win the trust of key players like William Cecil and the Earl of Leicester before launching his own secret campaign against the queen’s enemies. Covert operations were Walsingham’s genius; he pioneered techniques for exploiting double agents, spreading disinformation, and deciphering codes with the latest code-breaking science that remain staples of international espionage.

From the publisher

Stephen Budiansky, journalist and military historian, is the author of nine books about history, science, and nature, including Air Power: The Men, Machines, and Ideas That Revolutionized War, from Kitty Hawk to Gulf War II. He publishes frequently in The New York Times and The Washington Post and currently serves as a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly.

First line

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 job in the first place all of the subsequent trouble might have been avoided.

Details

  • Title Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage
  • Author Stephen Budiansky
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 272
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, NY USA
  • Date 2006-08-01
  • Features Annotated, Bibliography, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780452287471 / 0452287472
  • Weight 0.5 lbs (0.23 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.64 x 5.68 x 0.56 in (19.41 x 14.43 x 1.42 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 16th Century
    • Chronological Period: 17th Century
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Elizabeth, Great Britain - History - Elizabeth,
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Fascinating and superbly written. Walsingham was the CIA’s ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan and George Smiley rolled into one.—The Wall Street Journal

About the author

Stephen Budiansky, journalist and military historian, is the author of nine books about history, science, and nature, including Air Power: The Men, Machines, and Ideas That Revolutionized War, from Kitty Hawk to Gulf War II. He publishes frequently in The New York Times and The Washington Post and currently serves as a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly.

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