This is the biography of William Ashby, Elizabethan intelligence agent and diplomat who served as ambassador to Scotland during the Spanish Armada crisis.
It provides a fresh social, political and foreign policy insight from the perspective of a gentleman spy who took part in some of the most important events of his time.
Much of the book is focused on the Anglo-Scottish geo-political relationship during the decade of 1580–1590, with its machinations and bizarre background stories.
Prior to Ashby’s ambassadorial appointment, he served as a senior ‘intelligencer’ for Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster.
Elizabethan Secret Agent: The Untold Story of William Ashby by Timothy Ashby is published on 30 March, 2022.
