New Research Reveals Elizabeth I's Secretaries Crafted Emotional Tone in Her Letters
Clodagh Murphy, an expert in early modern manuscript culture and authorship, has conducted research revealing the crucial influence of Elizabeth I's secretaries, notably Francis Walsingham, on the emotional tone of her correspondence. This investigation, part of Murphy's PhD work at Leiden University under Nadine Akkerman's Feathers project, examined more than 500 letters written by Elizabeth. The analysis showed that secretaries frequently adjusted drafts to heighten or soften emotional content for political ends. For instance, Walsingham's revisions in a May 1584 letter to George Talbot sharpened Elizabeth's critiques of Mary, Queen of Scots, while an October 1584 letter to Ralph Sadler included more diplomatic language. This research redefines Elizabeth’s emotional expressions, highlighting her strategic collaboration with her secretaries.
Key facts
- Clodagh Murphy's PhD research at Leiden University, part of the Feathers project led by Nadine Akkerman, analyzed over 500 of Elizabeth I's letters.
- Around 3,000 of Elizabeth I's letters survive, mostly penned by scribes.
- Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's principal secretary, substantially edited drafts of her letters, intensifying or tempering emotions.
- A May 1584 letter to George Talbot, Sixth Earl of Shrewsbury, contained Walsingham's edits that intensified criticisms of Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI.
- An October 1584 letter to Ralph Sadler included Walsingham's additions of conciliatory language towards Mary.
- Walsingham's edits were intended to manipulate Mary's impression of her relationship with Elizabeth and move her to act in English interests.
- The research challenges the idea that Elizabeth's emotional outbursts were evidence of female irrationality, suggesting she strategically deployed emotion.
- The study is part of the Feathers project, which seeks to distinguish authorial and scribal voices in early modern manuscripts (1500-1800).
Entities
Artists
- Elizabeth I
- Francis Walsingham
- Francis Mylles
- Robert Dudley, First Earl of Leicester
- George Talbot, Sixth Earl of Shrewsbury
- Mary, Queen of Scots
- James VI of Scotland
- James Douglas, Fourth Earl of Morton
- Ralph Sadler
- Clodagh Murphy
- Nadine Akkerman
- Margaret Tudor
- Henry VIII
- Meilan Solly
Institutions
- Leiden University
- Feathers project
- The Conversation
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Wikimedia Commons
Locations
- England
- Scotland
- Netherlands
- Leiden