Secrets and Spies in the Royal Courts of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots

Monday, September 30, 6:30pm 
Presented by Carol Ann Lloyd  (Carol Ann visits us via Zoom. We'll meet in the library.)
Part of our Big Read Programming Series.  Open to everyone.

It’s time to explore the darker corridors of the royal courts of two of history’s most famous queens: Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. As the two women navigated a world led mostly by men, they employed a network of “watchers” throughout all levels of European society to gather and use information to secure their power and hold onto their thrones. Once the Queen of Scots came to England, the use of ciphers and codes were used to disguise and distract plans to overthrow Elizabeth and place the Catholic Mary on the throne of England. For many years, alliances were made and shattered among nations and leaders based on gathering, sharing, hiding, and interpreting information. This period, with its spymasters and extensive networks of hidden men and messages is often called the birth of modern espionage, with methods and practices that are similar to those used today. Join us to see how the ability to control information became the most potent tool of the realm and often the only means of survival.