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89th out of 350 books
—
904 voters
Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage
Queen Elizabeth I and England's First Spymaster
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 an...more
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 an...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
July 25th 2006
by Plume
(first published August 18th 2005)
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I liked this book for its content, but what was described as "taunt prose" annoyed me to no end. I found the lack of a traditional chronology irritating, possibly because when I want a spy novel, I read a spy novel, and when I read history I like to have a more ordered presentation. Perhaps because he has been a war correspondent he opened with the Batholomew's Day Massacre, which is logicially and chronologically the pivotal event. The Massacre enough removed from my period that I only knew of...more
At best this book could be described as "Light." At worst, "Cutesy" would be a more appropriate word. Budiansky seems so taken with the language used in letters during the time that he over quotes, and under analyzes.
The book focuses on Walsingham's personal and professional feuds with Burghley, Leicester, Elizabeth and Stafford, and fails to do more than a cursory gloss-over of what actually made him a legendary figure. The barely more than 200 pages seem well researched, but not well explained...more
The book focuses on Walsingham's personal and professional feuds with Burghley, Leicester, Elizabeth and Stafford, and fails to do more than a cursory gloss-over of what actually made him a legendary figure. The barely more than 200 pages seem well researched, but not well explained...more
Aug 08, 2011
Jaime
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
non-fiction
“Knowledge is never too dear.” This quote is the theme upon which this uneven biography of Sir Francis Walsingham is built. Unlike most biographies, this focuses on Walsingham only from when Queen Elizabeth took the throne. Though his upbringing is mentioned in passing, readers don’t have to plod through a pieced together boyhood with fictionalized scenes. His status as a puritan, in thinking and religion, is woven throughout his actions and writings.
Budiansky spends a lot of time giving context...more
Budiansky spends a lot of time giving context...more
Brevity is something author valued in this work. And yet when you arrive at the end you don't feel that the story suffered from lack of info.
Sir Walsingham was not the first spy master. But he was very significant in forging the case that led to the trial and execution of Mary Queen of Scots. He was adept at finding people to place in key positions that could give him information. Knowledge has always been power, a fact not lost on Sir Walsingham.
He was one person the Queen could depend on for...more
Sir Walsingham was not the first spy master. But he was very significant in forging the case that led to the trial and execution of Mary Queen of Scots. He was adept at finding people to place in key positions that could give him information. Knowledge has always been power, a fact not lost on Sir Walsingham.
He was one person the Queen could depend on for...more
This is a great fast read about Sir Francis Walsingham. An enlightening look at the politics of England and her rivals, Spain and France, at the time of the Armada. He was a fascinating man who deftly handled the politics. The amazing thing to me was how he seemed to be ill through most of these crises, dealing with the barbarism that passed for medicine at that time.
So many interesting characters present themselves, the least of whom is Queen Elizabeth I herself, a brilliant drama queen if eve...more
So many interesting characters present themselves, the least of whom is Queen Elizabeth I herself, a brilliant drama queen if eve...more
I'm no big fan of history, and history books usually bore me to no end. Many books also have too many details and are confusing to the average person who has no previous knowledge of the subject. I had no knowledge about Walsingham, and little about Elizabeth. I found this book very easy to follow and not too confusing with an overload of facts and interpretation. This was set up more like a story than a list of facts which made it much more interesting. The only thing is that I expected a littl...more
This was an informative and entertaining book. An armchair read at only 215 pages long, Her Majesty's Spymaster is surprisingly condensed without seeming thick. In fact, Budiansky relates his information with a dryness of wit that almost makes the reader forget that he's reading an historical account rather than a satire. The only problem I had is that the book didn't adequately tie in the historical information to modern covert practices. Even though "the Birth of Modern Espionage" is part of t...more
This was an interesting look at the life of Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary to Queen Elizabeth I. The book talks about how he helped reveal the plot of Mary, Queen of Scots, to assassinate Elizabeth and how he helped the British to victory over the Spanish Armada. It was a short book, but not a necessarily quick read. I found the talk about how Walsingham gathered his intelligence a little light. If Budiansky's point was that intelligence is important and Walsingham was among the first to both...more
Budiansky's is an audacious premise. That Sir Francis Walsingham pioneered modern espionage is certainly up for debate but what is certainly true is that Walsingham was one of the most fascinating members of Elizabeth's court. This puritan keeper and manipulator of information was indispensable in the somewhat regular attempts on the queen's life and the countless skirmishes with the Spanish. Truly one of English history's more compelling characters, Walsingham's story is told with an eye for de...more
Okay, I hate to admit this, because it's bordering on popular history, but this book was excellent. Walsingham was an amazing guy, and Her Majesty's Spymaster (seriously, I hate this title) gives a comprehensive picture of Elizabeth's information network - what they knew, how they knew it, and what they did about it. What I particularly enjoyed was that the book isn't too bound by its primary subject (Walsingham), and while it is focused on him, it also does not miss the opportunity to talk abou...more
Decent biography that leaves obvious gaps. Ignoring unchronological setup (it starts with St. Bartholomew massacre then swithes back to Walsingham's early career) author is easily distracted. Book often meanders into Walsingham's dealings with other key figures at Elizabeth's court. While this is important to understand why Walsingham did what he did and why he did(n't) enjoy success it goes into too much unnecessary detail.
On the plus side book details as much as possible, after so much time ha...more
On the plus side book details as much as possible, after so much time ha...more
An excellent biography of Walsingham and many of the various spies who worked for him. The coverage of the Babington Plot in particular, and of his relationship with Thomas Phelippes (forger and cryptographer) and Gilbert Gifford was interesting. Also, his use of spies of other nationalities in order to gather information and, in the case of van Marnix, in deciphering information from Spain, was interesting. Well-written, accessible and engaging.
A surprisingly tight narrative centered on the activities of Elizabeth I's chief spymaster largely during the cold war with Spain in the 1570s and 1580s. Budiansky succeeds in producing a tense, pageturning anticipation as Walsingham builds a terrifyingly effective network of informants and catspaws. There's sufficiently rich detail to understand what "Mr. Secretary" did, how did it, and how each step improved the machinery. And it's not a bad insight on how someone like Walsingham could take ad...more
This is a very well-written and very fascinating text. I thoroughly enjoyed every page. It is also fascinating to see this period from the perspective of a member of the Privy Council, especially a man as influential and talented as Sir Francis Walsingham. Any historian would love this book.
Very interesting look at the beginnings of espionage, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had a better grasp of Elizabethan history. I'm recommending this to my brother, who's a huge nerd for that stuff. If you really love English history, you'll enjoy this. Short and well-researched.
A quick read. Some familiarity with the period and the personalities is probably required to fully appreciate the work, but I am fascinated by Elizabeth I and her reign, so I enjoyed this book very much. Gave me some pause to reflect on the religious fanaticism of our own time.
A story about a remarkable civil servant, who may have, through the fledgling art of maintaining a network of spies, done unknowable service to Queen Elizabeth and England. The actions around Mary, Queen of Scots are well described and easy to comprehend. This book can almost be thought of as an introduction to a scholarly quest in learning about Elizabeth's reign.
An excellent (and wonderfully concise) insight into the mind of a man who laid the foundations of modern intelligence & security. An fascinating read about a fascinating man. The term "shades of grey" could easily have been coined by Walsingham.
While the book could have been more in depth, it does offer a good overview of how Elizabeth's officers worked together to keep both her and the country safe. Budiansky also has an engaging style.
Saw the author at a recent Marlowe seminar offered by The Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC. He was part of a panel addressing whether Marlowe was a spy and, more importantly, whether that makes any difference to our considersation of Marlowe as an author. His discussion made me want to read his book which turns out to be just an okay read. The book is not as focused as the title suggests and its structure forces some repetition. Given a choice between seeing the author as part of an hour-lo...more
Quick read, wickedly funny at times (I read a fair amount out loud to my husband). Better for refreshing your memory on history you've learned and forgotten than as an introduction to Elizabethan spycraft.
In places I found it a tad tedious and I think it could have been a bit more interesting due to the subject matter. A bit disappointed really.
Very engrossing, but Budiansky could have benefited from a better editor. There is a lot of repetition, confusion, and run-on sentences.
reads like a novel. Makes you a fan of the importance of spying in the safety and therefor definition and history of a country
Mar 03, 2011
Maxo Marc
added it
Kind of boring but interesting because it talked the religious schisms
handy book for understanding biography of Francis Walshingham.
This book gave me a much clearer sense for what Elizabethan politics were like. It was written recently, and the author is clearly writing in reaction to today's political topics. Sometimes this is heavy-handed, but it does mean that he goes into some detail about when, why, and how Elizabeth's government had suspected enemies tortured.
The book is a bit rambly, and some historians have questioned the author's conclusions. There are extensive quotes from the primary sources; I enjoyed this, but...more
The book is a bit rambly, and some historians have questioned the author's conclusions. There are extensive quotes from the primary sources; I enjoyed this, but...more
I flew through the first one hundred pages and then slowed down to a crawl. The author jumps around so much he becomes difficult to follow as he moves up and down his time line with little regard to the cohesiveness of the biography. This book works as a brief introduction to Walsingham's life but doesn't go further.
May 26, 2008
Alisa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
historical-non-fiction
Took me forever to read because this is one of my 'tv books' - the ones I read mostly while I'm suffering through tv advertisements! Not quite the book I was expecting...it seemed more like a general story of historical events, rather than an in-depth look at Walsingham and his spying techniques and innovations. Since I'm already well versed with the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada, there wasn't a whole lot here that was new.
I give it a thumbs up, tho mainly i finished it because my mom really wants to borrow it. :) i think it would benefit from either (1) the reader being familiar with the more major players (since there's plenty of new minor players that they will need to keep straight) or (2) reading it in longer stretches not spaced terribly far apart. otherwise you have a lot of moments of "which spy is that?"
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| The Aspiring Poly...: Her Majesty's Spymaster | 1 | 18 | 13 de Abr 06:39 |
Historian and journalist STEPHEN BUDIANSKY is the author of twelve books about military history, science, and nature.
His latest book is THE BLOODY SHIRT: TERROR AFTER APPOMATTOX, which chronicles the struggles of five courageous men in the post-Civil War South as they battled a rising tide of terrorist violence aimed at usurping the newly won rights of the freedmen.
More about Stephen Budiansky...
His latest book is THE BLOODY SHIRT: TERROR AFTER APPOMATTOX, which chronicles the struggles of five courageous men in the post-Civil War South as they battled a rising tide of terrorist violence aimed at usurping the newly won rights of the freedmen.
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4 de Jun 19:10