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The Queen's Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I [Hardcover]

John Cooper (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 6 Oct 2011

Elizabeth I came to the throne at a time of insecurity and unrest. Rivals threatened her reign; England was a Protestant island, isolated in a sea of Catholic countries. Spain plotted an invasion, but Elizabeth's Secretary, Francis Walsingham, was prepared to do whatever it took to protect her.

He ran a network of agents in England and Europe who provided him with information about invasions or assassination plots. He recruited likely young men and 'turned' others. He encourage Elizabeth to make war against the Catholic Irish rebels, with extreme brutality and oversaw the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

The Queen's Agent is a story of secret agents, cryptic codes and ingenious plots, set in a turbulent period of England's history. It is also the story of a man devoted to his queen, sacrificing his every waking hour to save the threatened English state.

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 375 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber; 1st Edition edition (6 Oct 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571218261
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571218264
  • Product Dimensions: 16.1 x 3.4 x 24 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 76,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's J. P. D. Cooper Page
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Review

'A superb new account of Walsingham and the Tudor age, paints a John le Carre-like world of double dealing and intrigue ... In pages of crisp prose and with punctilious scholarship and vivid storytelling, The Queen's Agent brilliantly recreates Elizabethan England in all its cloak-and-dagger intrigue and glory. George Smiley would have liked it.' --Sunday Telegraph

'Fascinating ... John Cooper neither vilifies nor lionises his subject, preferring to set his actions in context ... Cooper does not neglect other less well-known aspects of Walsingham's career ... Cooper's lucid and readable study of this 'most subtle searcher of hidden secrets' does much to show that Walsingham's work was 'odious though necessary'.' --Literary Review

Book Description

The definitive book about Francis Walsingham, the first great English spymaster and the man who saved Elizabeth's regime and England's independence.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
63 of 64 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Walsingham's Agent 28 Oct 2011
By David Phillips
Format:Hardcover
The Queen's Agent provides a wealth of drama and detail surrounding the person, and the life and times of Francis Walsingham. One quickly develops a confidence in Cooper's breadth of knowledge of the era as he skillfully weaves the factors that help us understand Walsingham's difficult decisions as secretary to Elizabeth I. Cooper is not an apologist for one side, but helps the reader understand both Roman Catholic and Protestant hopes and anxieties. He helps us see the fragility of the kingdom and what was at stake. I was hooked when I heard the abridged version read on BBC 4, the full book was more than I'd hoped for. The style is engaging and entertaining. I highly commend it!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, enlightening and entertaining story of a man little known 30 Dec 2011
By Keen Reader TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Queen Elizabeth I remains a figure of fascination for many; and it is always interesting to read more of the men (and women) who made up her court, and who contributed to her long reign. Francis Walsingham has always been seen as a man of some mystery; a man of intrigue, spies, ciphers and skullduggery generally. So it is most interesting to see a book which deals with Elizabeth's court from the perspective of Walsingham's involvement.

The lengthy and important political career that Walsingham had prior to 1577, when the growing threat of a revival in Catholicism and missionary priests threw internal security, and Walsingham's role in same, into the spotlight, was a revelation to me. It helps to explain Walsingham's later career (which is more popularly known, even if somewhat vaguely, by most), and his conviction and loyalties to his religion and his monarch. Having been present in Paris during the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572, it is not difficult to see how Walsingham could translate the concept of such religious and political threats over to his own country. In this marvellous book, we also get to read of the lives of some of the conspirators; how it was that they appeared to turn against their country and their queen; and how Walsingham and Burghley built the mechanisms to deal with these menaces.

There are interesting and very enlightening chapters in the book also on relations with France, the Babington plot to free Mary Queen of Scots, and Elizabethan attempts to govern Ireland, as well as the dreams of the growing "English Empire".

While there are notes for source material used in the book, it's a shame that there is no bibliography as such; it would have been good to have more suggestions for reading, and source material cited in book form so that I could have looked for more reading and information. But that's the only quibble I have with this book; the writing is totally engaging, the story compelling and the material beautifully presented. Totally recommended for anyone who has an interest in Elizabethan times, political and espionage development in English Tudor history, or just an interest in Walsingham and his times - enough of a fascination in itself to justify devouring the book.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging combination of drama and history 15 Nov 2011
By Louis Burg
Format:Hardcover
The Queen's Agent brings the character of Walsingham alive and enables one to appreciate the concerns and problems of someone living through the tumultuous years of Elizabeth's reign. I enjoyed very much the combination of drama, fine-story-telling, and history (both fascinating details and informative and engaging descriptions of the broader currents and issues of the day). It is easy to recommend this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars The Queens Agent
Very complex book took a lot of reading. Had to read it slow to absorb all the detail in it , but got a real insight into the character that Geoffrey Rush played in the... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Thomas Parkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched and definitive
Copper has written an accomplished portrait of the original spymaster and his machiavellian methods of keeping the Elizabethan state secure. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Finnian Fitzpatrick
4.0 out of 5 stars A detailed and scholarly textboook which puts 'flesh' on a secretive...
This is a scholarly text book for students of Elizabethan history, full of detailed information but not an easy read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Elizabeth Watchorn
3.0 out of 5 stars Hilary Mantel Book
I have started reading this book but I find it very hard going.. I have been informed that it gets better, I hope so!
Published 2 months ago by Marelyn Noble
4.0 out of 5 stars Driven by faith...
The problem with Walsingham, as a subject for biography, is the shortage of documentation, particularly relating to his private life. Read more
Published 3 months ago by FictionFan
3.0 out of 5 stars THe Queens Agent
Bit slow and slightly boring...But it does explain the intrigues of those blasted catholics...! An ordinary man who rose to the ocassion and protected the realm,
Published 3 months ago by R. Fernandez
5.0 out of 5 stars QUEENS AGENT. FRANCIS WALSINGHAM
GOOD AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT. THE AUTHOR GAVE A TALK AT OUR LOCAL HA GROUP - THIS IS WHY I PURCHASED THE BOOK. WELL WRITTEN ACCOUNT.
Published 3 months ago by Florence
4.0 out of 5 stars A more human side to Walsingham
This is a very good portrait of Walsingham the man as well as the political agent. Cooper is an academic and negotiates his way with ease through the religious and political... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Roman Clodia
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating account of the life of Elizabeth I's spymaster
A contemporary portrait of Elizabeth 1 depicts her wearing a dress covered with eyes and ears to symbolise her omniscience about the affairs of her realm. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jeremy Bevan
4.0 out of 5 stars Shielding Elizabeth from Storm
This begins like a novel with Walsingham, the English ambassador in Paris, risking his life by harbouring a Huguenot in a vain attempt to save him from the St Barthelomew's Day... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Antenna
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