Francis Walsingham

1532-1590. Statesman and spymaster.

In 1568, he became secretary of state under Elizabeth I. He was a disciplined Protestant and was abroad during the reign of Mary I. Francis Walsingham established an efficient espionage system and was able to prevent conspiracies like the Throckmorton Plot and the Babington Plot against Elizabeth I.

Sources

• Conyers, Read: "Walsingham and Burghley in Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council". The English Historical Review 28/109 (1913): 34-58.
• Briscoe, Alexandra. "Elizabeth's Spy Network." BBC, Last updated 02 July 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/spying_01.shtml#two.