#DID WAR WORLD 1 HAVE A SPY NETWORK CODE#

Luckily for him, Babington and his friends were enthusiastic but inexperienced plotters and were happy to discuss their plans in public. Walsingham, meanwhile, was biding his time. These letters were then resealed and sent on to their destination or delivered to Mary in prison.

#DID WAR WORLD 1 HAVE A SPY NETWORK CODE#

The relatively simple code used by Mary was quickly deciphered, and translations were provided for Elizabeth. By establishing a system whereby Mary's personal letters were carried in and out of Chartley (her current residence) hidden in a beer barrel, Walsingham was able to intercept and decode her correspondence.

Gifford persuaded the local brewer to encourage Mary to use him as a secret means of communicating with the outside world. But when he discovered in 1586 that she was corresponding with a group of Catholics led by the young Anthony Babington, he seized his chance.įor the first stage of his plan, Walsingham used a spy named Gifford to act as a double agent. Walsingham loathed Mary and everything she stood for, and vowed to bring her down. She did not, however, realise the level of scrutiny she was under. She still had her entourage and spent her days sewing, reading or hunting, but in reality Mary was a prisoner. Armed also with information from spies based in this country, Walsingham could trace lines of communication between Catholics here and abroad, and keep track of any plots.įor reasons of security Mary, Queen of Scots was regularly moved from one residence to another. This information enabled Walsingham to piece together, for example, the policy of the Pope towards Elizabeth. Spies were posted to live abroad who could supply him with intelligence on the politics and attitudes of Catholic countries towards England.

He was strict, almost Puritan in his religious beliefs, and passionate about protecting the country from Catholic threat.

Without the other commitments which had taken up much of Cecil's time, Walsingham could devote himself to overseeing Elizabeth's secret service. Quick-witted and ruthless, he was soon playing a critical role in intelligence-gathering operations. But when Protestantism was re-established under Elizabeth I, he returned to England and became Secretary of State in 1568. He held strong Protestant beliefs, and had gone to live abroad during the reign of the Catholic Mary I. Walsingham had studied as a lawyer and was intelligent, serious and disciplined.

Did war world 1 have a spy network