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6 Episodes 2015 - 2015
Episode 1
45 mins
After the death of Cardinal Wolsey in 1530, Thomas Cromwell became Henry VIII's 'lap dog'. In order to do the king's bidding, he established a network of spies that steered Henry through his troubles with Rome, divorces, assassinations attempts and the establishment of a new religion. as this documentary reveals, though cunning and ambitious, none of these achievements proved sufficient to preserve his life.
Episode 2
As a Protestant, Queen Elizabeth I lived with the threat of assassination from Catholics throughout her reign. Thankfully, there was an army of men available to work in secret under spy master Francis Walsingham with the sole aim of protecting her. As this documentary reveals, Walsingham was able to demonstrate remarkable cunning in his role.
Episode 3
Robert Cecil was one of England's most feared spymasters. He focused his intelligence work less on the internal enemy and more on the enemy from outside. But his greatest success was the foiling of the most ambitious terror plan in British history, the so-called "Gunpowder Plot" of 1605. The idea was to blow up Parliament, killing King James I and his entire government in the process.
Episode 4
Cardinal Richelieu was a ruthlessly ambitious man who built an unparalleled intelligence network to protect King Louis XIII of France from intrigues and assassinations. As a Catholic, Richelieu distrusted the Protestant Huguenots who wanted to overthrow the king. So he built up an extraordinary network of spies, informants and double agents to counter threats emanating from the French court itself.
Episode 5
Zofia Potocka and Mata Hari were two of the most notorious "honey traps" in espionage history. They used their beauty and charms to seduce countless men. They penetrated the highest circles of European society, which gave them access to the emperors, generals and rulers of their time. They sold their secrets to the highest bidder and thus acted as multiple double agents.
Episode 6
Elizabeth van Lew was one of the bravest and most important Northern spies in the American Civil War and one of the bravest women in American history. She freed her slaves long before the Civil War and later used them as spies and informers behind Confederate lines. Their information relayed to Union generals helped end the brutal war.