Francis Walsingham served as Principal Secretary to England's Queen Elizabeth I for nearly twenty years. He was truly a man ahead of his time in matters of political intelligence. He is commonly known as Elizabeth's "spymaster." Techniques Walsingham developed for gathering intelligence are still used today.

Elizabeth came to the throne during chaotic times, particularly in matters related to religion and legitimacy. As the daughter of the woman who pushed King Henry VIII to break from the Roman Catholic Church, Anne Boleyn, a woman who was later disgraced and beheaded, Elizabeth had grown up regarded by a number of her father's subjects as a bastard child. When her Catholic half-sister, Mary, died, Elizabeth assumed the throne and many of her subjects were glad of it. Still, there was a certain taint regarding her mother's fate and the question of religion in England. Therefore, Walsingham had a difficult task.

Fortunately for Elizabeth, Walsingham possessed the natural intelligence, training, savvy, and a gift for successful calculated risk. His uncanny ability to uncover a number of plots against Elizabeth's life is renowned. He also is largely responsible for securing the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (Elizabeth's cousin), an act Elizabeth was most reluctant to approve. He also had a keen understanding of England's growing role in maritime, exploration, and colonization matters.

He was born to minor nobility, studied at King's College, Cambridge, and then traveled abroad. Upon his return he took up the study of law at Gray's Inn, at the Inns of Court. Coming from a staunch Protestant background, he left England again when the Catholic Mary took the throne. He traveled to Italy, where he continued to study law at the University of Padua. During his years abroad he worked hard to cultivate friendships with prominent Protestants. When he returned to England in 1558, Elizabeth was on the throne. He married, and through court connections he was elected to the House of Commons. He and his wife, Ann Carleill, had one child, a daughter, Frances.

Highlights of Walsingham's career working for Elizabeth include his strong opposition to her proposed marriage to the Duke of Anjou. He also was heavily involved in English preparations for war with Spain. He was well known for his use of agents provacateur, promoted English exploration (particularly the voyages of Sir Francis Drake), and worked for English-Scottish unification.