POLITICIAN

Francis Walsingham

1532 - 1590

Photo of Francis Walsingham

Icon of person Francis Walsingham

Sir Francis Walsingham (c. 1532 – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Walsingham attended Cambridge University and travelled in continental Europe before embarking on a career in law at the age of twenty. A committed Protestant, during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary I of England he joined other expatriates in exile in Switzerland and northern Italy until Mary's death and the accession of her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth. Walsingham rose from relative obscurity to become one of the small coterie who directed the Elizabethan state, overseeing foreign, domestic and religious policy. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Francis Walsingham is the 5,260th most popular politician (up from 5,722nd in 2019), the 1,186th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 1,146th in 2019) and the 228th most popular British Politician.

Francis Walsingham was Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster and Secretary of State. He was most famous for being the mastermind behind the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Francis Walsingham by language

Loading...

Among POLITICIANS

Among politicians, Francis Walsingham ranks 5,260 out of 19,576. Before him are Malik-Shah II, Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester, Amlaíb, King of Scotland, Ordoño III of León, John Foster Dulles, and Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz. After him are Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira, Juan, Count of Montizón, Anton Mussert, Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena, Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz, and Bermudo II of León.

Most Popular Politicians in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1532, Francis Walsingham ranks 6. Before him are John Hawkins, Tulsidas, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Yermak Timofeyevich, and Maerten de Vos. After him are Luís Fróis, Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Jean-Antoine de Baïf, and Menocchio. Among people deceased in 1590, Francis Walsingham ranks 9. Before him are Charles II, Archduke of Austria, Ambroise Paré, Archduchess Anna of Austria, Christina of Denmark, Gioseffo Zarlino, and Bernardino de Sahagún. After him are Catherine of Ricci, Marietta Robusti, Maddalena Casulana, Giambattista Benedetti, Leone Leoni, and François Hotman.

Others Born in 1532

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1590

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Francis Walsingham ranks 1,186 out of 8,785. Before him are Oldfield Thomas (1858), Kristin Scott Thomas (1960), Benedict Cumberbatch (1976), Lobsang Rampa (1910), Charles George Gordon (1833), and Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester (1215). After him are Richard J. Roberts (1943), Francis Lee (1944), John McAfee (1945), Terry Jones (1942), Kenneth Clarke (1940), and William Tyndale (1494).

Others born in United Kingdom

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among POLITICIANS In United Kingdom

Among politicians born in United Kingdom, Francis Walsingham ranks 228. Before him are Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1869), Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428), John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504), Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594), William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779), and Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester (1215). After him are Kenneth Clarke (1940), Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild (1936), William Hague (1961), Reginald Johnston (1874), Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland (1915), and Cosmo Duff-Gordon (1862).

British born Politicians

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous