Invisible Power: The Elizabethan Secret Services, 1570-1603

by Alan Haynes (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2000

  $3.39

  A detailed account of the secret services operated by the great men of Elizabethan England, whose clandestine efforts sprang from the collective Protestant fear provoked by the exiled presence in England of Mary, Queen of Scots. After the rising of the Northern Earls in her favour in 1569 - an event that shocked the government - any claimant to the English throne was viewed with hostile suspicion as a potential focus for religious malcontents and foreign meddlers. By stealthy efforts at home and abroad the Elizabethan spy clusters became forces to be feared. Kidnapping, surveillance, conspiracy, counter-espionage, theft and lying were just a few of the methods employed to defeat the ever-present threat of regicide. The author aims to challenge many of the stale notions about espionage in Renaissance England and to show the reign of Elizabeth I in a new light.

• Used

  Paperback
  2009

  $3.39

  The England of Elizabeth was a nation under threat, both from factions within and great powers without. Opposition to the Protestant establishment meant that the queen and her court constantly believe themselves menaces by subterfuge and plots. In this fragile climate, spies and spy networks were of cardinal importance. This is an unrivalled and impeccably detailed account of the 'secret services' operated by the great men of Elizabethan England. By stealthy efforts at home and abroad the Elizabethan spy clusters became forces to be feared. Kidnapping, surveillance, conspiracy, counter-espionage, theft and lying were just a few of the methods employed to defeat the ever-present threat of regicide. This book challenges many stale notions about espionage in Renaissance England and presents complex material in an absorbing way, so that the reign of Elizabeth I is shown in a compellingly new and bold light.