The summer of 1586 was one of England's darkest periods - particularly for Queen Elizabeth. The Queen feared for her life as a terrorist cell of Catholic extremists was planning to kill her and install Mary, Queen of Scots, on her throne. Behind the terrorists was the might of Spain, whose forces were ready to invade should the plot succeed. However, one man stood in their way - Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster and security chief. Ultimately he would become known as one of history's greatest spies, thanks to the extraordinary trap he set for Mary, Queen of Scots. Using a sophisticated network of double agents, informants and secret codes, Walsingham allowed Mary to believe she was masterminding a plot to destroy Elizabeth. ELIZABETH I: WAR ON TERROR is a gripping day-by-day account of the action, using dramatized scenes and location-based interviews with top historians. It illuminates the remarkable events across eight weeks in 1586, when the threat to Queen Elizabeth was at its greatest. This story transforms our understanding of Walsingham's - and England's - dark world.
