Sir Francis Walsingham (c. 1532 – 6 April 1590) is Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 till 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster".

Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security.

He oversees operations that penetrate the heart of Spanish military preparation, gathers intelligence from across Europe, and disrupts a range of plots against the queen, securing the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Walsingham is one of the small coterie who directs the Elizabethan state, overseeing foreign, domestic and religious policy, and the subjugation of Ireland.

He works to bring Scotland and England together.

Overall, his foreign policy demonstrates a new understanding of the role of England as a maritime, Protestant power in an increasingly global economy.

He is an innovator in exploration, colonization and the use of England's potential maritime power.

He is also a convincing prototype of the modern bureaucrat.