The world of politics has always been a web of secrets, tricks, alliances, and, of course, spying networks. The latter wasn’t unknown in Medieval times when spies were pillars of political maneuvers. At a time when the world was still configuring its borders through warfare and political association, spies were essential weapons. However, unlike what many would think, in many kingdoms, there were women the ones in charge of those dangerous tasks.
The reason might be obvious. Back in the Middle Ages, gender norms were pretty much binary and well defined. The fact that women were mainly destined to carry out domestic activities, made them the perfect to keep a low profile to gather information.
In Ireland, for instance, there were records of female spies in the 14th century. By the late 13th century, Irish society faced tense political issues that increased violence throughout the kingdom. The constant armed conflicts between the Anglo-Norman colony and the Gaelic Ireland led to raids and terrible famines. However, it was not rare to see intermarriages between both parties.
By the 14th century, it was common to see Gaelic men and women married into Norman families and living in the colonies. Women became active members to bring information from the Norman colonies to the Gaelic clans, and since they had married into the colony, they had free access between both territories. Naturally, this was a terribly dangerous work, and it’s been registered that many women ended up being punished or executed for their spying work.
Now, it’s no secret that during the Middle Ages, the most advanced societies weren’t found precisely in Europe. The Islamic world of the time was way more cultivated and had more organized cities. One of the most refined systems in the area was their postal service, which more than transporting and delivering correspondence and goods, worked as well as a sophisticated spy network. This was completely working since the 7th century, seven hundred years before the registered Irish female spies.
Many Muslim empires set these networks throughout their territories and beyond to secure their power. By the late 7th century, and having a big network of thousands of spies, it became evident that men were quite suspicious targets. Soon, many rulers understood that the best undercover agents would actually be women. These female messengers didn’t only gather important information from cities to cities and war camps, they were also used to infiltrate false information throughout enemy lines. The range would go from female slaves to peasants and even aristocratic women. It’s reported that the Queen of Antioch, Saladin, was also a recruited spy working during the late 12th century.
So, female spies came from all backgrounds. Another interesting story is that of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, ruler of the Fatimid caliph during the 11th century. After seeing how competent female spies were over his territory, he knew there was a greater chance to use this network to his benefit. He gathered a group of elderly women whose only job was to pry information out of their friends. This proved to be quite effective to know what the people thought about his rule and even to catch enemies throughout his territory. His half-sister, Sitt al-Mulk, took it to the next level and set up a more organized network. A contemporary of al-Hakim, al-Afdal Shahanshah, used his mother to infiltrate her in his own army and target rebels from within.
How Muslim leaders developed their spy network is impressive considering that, for instance, in Europe, the postal service wasn’t developed until the late 15th century, and was not a very effective one. Now, besides that, it’s even possible that it was these sophisticated networks that led to more modern systems applied all over Europe and the world. That’s the case of the 17th-century female spies who developed witty and ingenious techniques for their craft.
Probably without the work of Medieval female spies, these so-called ‘she-intelligencers’ of the 17th century and years to come would’ve never existed. But more importantly, these stories are worth sharing because they are evidence that women have always been key elements in the development of societies.
Images from Wikimedia Commons
