Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan

Summary

R. Kent Tiernan joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the seven-year covert operation to execute Mary Queen of Scots. Kent is the author of The Walsingham Gambit.  

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• The spy plot to trap Mary, Queen of Scots 
• Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster 
• 16^th century intelligence tactics 
• The importance of recruiting agents from your opponent’s camp
• The Denial and Deception Committee

Reflections

• Religious conflict
• Temperament and statecraft

And much, much more …

Episode Notes

Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, survived no less than 9 elaborate plots against her life. In an era of religious conflict and constant power struggles, it was perhaps more important than ever to run an effective intelligence service. This week on SpyCast, join Kent Tiernan and Andrew to learn how Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, expertly executed a clever operation to entrap Mary, Queen of Scots utilizing classic techniques of denial and deception. 

And… 

Mary Stewart is one of European history’s youngest monarchs, crowned Queen of Scots in 1542 when she was only 6 days old. She is only beat by King John I of France and Alfonso XIII of Spain, who were both named king immediately upon their births in 1316 and 1886, respectively. 

Guest Bio

R. Kent Tiernan previously served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force, and an assistant professor of history at the United States Air Force Academy. Kent also served as the Vice Chairman and Staff Director of the Foreign Denial and Deception Committee before retiring in 2014 at the rank of Senior National Intelligence Service officer.

Quotes of the Week

"Our analysts do a wonderful job, but it's very difficult for them because they're looking for continuity or congruity in the information, uh, in order to come up with an answer or a best evaluation of truth. Our job was looking for incongruities in the information. Uh, things that didn't make sense the other evidence was leaning one way, but then we'd get a bit of evidence, and it just didn't make sense to what we were seeing, uh, normally." – Kent Tiernan.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Featured Resource*

• The Walsingham Gambit: Deception, Entrapment, and Execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, R. Kent Tiernan (Lexington Books, 2022)

*SpyCasts*

• The Denial and Deception Committee – with Bill Parquette
• The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence - with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy (2022)
• So, You Want to Be a Codebreaker? - with Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh (2021)
• The Spymaster’s Prism - with CIA Legend Jack Devine (2021)

*Beginner Resources*

• A beginner’s guide to the Babington Plot, M. Mayhew, The History Press (n.d.) [article]
• Biography of Mary Queen of Scots, E. Castelow, Historic UK (n.d.) [article]
• Queen Elizabeth I, B. Johnson, Historic UK (n.d.) [article]
• Elizabeth I’s Problem with Religion, YouTube (2021) [5 min. video]

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, S. Alford (Bloomsbury Press, 2012)
• The Queen’s Agent, J. Cooper (Faber & Faber, 2012)
• Elizabeth’s Spymaster, R. Hutchinson (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)
• The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe, C. Nicholl (Harcourt, 1994)

Articles

• Scientists Decipher 57 Letters That Mary, Queen of Scots Wrote before Her Beheading, S. Pappas, Scientific American (2023)
• Elizabethan Espionage: Plotters and Spies in the Struggle between Catholicism and the Crown, P. Martin, Journal of Jesuit Studies (2017)
• Christopher Marlowe: the Elizabethan James Bond, D. Flynn, The Irish Times (2016)
• Robert Peake and the Babington Plot, N. Younger, The British Art Journal (2013)

Video

• Spies and Spymasters Happy Hour - Sir Francis Walsingham, International Spy Museum, YouTube (2020)
• Bloody Queens: Elizabeth and Mary, BBC, YouTube (2016)

Primary Sources 

• Drawing of Mary, Queen of Scots’ Execution by Robert Beale, British Library (1587)
• Page of Ciphers Used by Mary Queen of Scots, UK National Archives (1586)
• Letter from Mary, Queen of Scots in Sheffield Castle to Elizabeth I, British Library (1582)
• Mary, Queen of Scots to Sir William Cecil, UK National Archives (1570)
• Letter from Elizabeth I to Mary, Queen of Scots, British Library (1568)
• Elizabeth I to Mary, Queen of Scots, UK National Archives (1567)

*Wildcard Resource*

• Elizabeth I famously had a sweet tooth – A habit that would eventually cause her teeth to go black in an era of subpar dentistry. One of her favorite sugary treats was candied violets – A less popular snack nowadays, but just as tasty!