Читать книгу The Secrets of Spies - Weldon Owen - Страница 34

SPYING IN THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR

35

FIGHT FOR THE CROWN

After the capture of Charles I in 1646, his eldest son Charles Stuart fled to

the continent. When Charles I was executed in 1649, his son took the title

of Charles II, and in 1650 he sailed to Scotland, assembling an army to

invade England. The Royalist forces were decisively beaten by Cromwell

at the battle of Worcester in September 1651, and once again Charles

was forced to flee to France, briefly hiding in an oak tree to escape

his pursuers. On his return to the English throne in 1660, he pardoned

all his former Parliamentary opponents except for those who had

signed his father’s death warrant. Charles was determined on

revenge, and one of the first of the regicides to be caught was

Thomas Scot—his fate to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Right: Charles II

SPYING IN THE

COMMONWEALTH

In 1653, Thomas Scot was replaced

by John Thurloe, a lawyer and

close friend of Cromwell. Thurloe

extended Scot’s spy network

and helped Cromwell improve

diplomatic relations with the

rest of Europe. Among Thurloe’s

triumphs was his uncovering of

the Sealed Knot, a small group

of Royalist supporters in England

who were liaising with the Royalist

court in exile to instigate an

uprising against Parliament. A message

from the group to Charles II was intercepted by

Thurloe’s agents, leading to their arrest in 1654.

Such was Thurloe’s skill that a despondent Charles II

lamented that Parliament had “perfect intelligence

whatsoever His Majesty [Charles] resolved to do, and of

all he said himself.” Thurloe also quashed internal rebellions

in England. In 1655, he foiled the Penruddock uprising in

York, and two years later he exposed a plot to assassinate

Cromwell by members of the radical Levelers movement.

The Commonwealth collapsed following the death of

Cromwell in 1660, and Charles II was invited to return to

England and take the throne. Thurloe was arrested for

treason, but such was his knowledge of spying

that he was released. He was made a

consultant to the monarchy on matters

of intelligence.

Above: John Wallis cracked

codes for Cromwell but later

worked for Charles II.

Left:

John Thurloe