Who were some notable spies in Europe in the Middle Ages?

by puglybug23

I work in Renaissance faires and a character I’m trying to create is a female spy from the medieval era. I’m having trouble finding books and sources to do research on this topic and would greatly appreciate any assistance. Please feel free to PM me sources to check out if you don’t have enough for a full answer on this sub :)

To give it a good range, let’s say from the years 900-1600.

A couple follow up questions:

  • Are there any female spies that are notable from the period?
  • In general terms, what types of methods did spies in this era use?
  • How did the spies’ methods change depending on if they were men or women?
  • What kinds of punishments awaited spies if they were caught?

I did see a few older posts on this sub that have a similar topic, but those didn’t have many responses and I’m hoping to get some more attention this time around.

Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

sunagainstgold

I wrote a post on women secret agents in the Middle Ages for medievalists.net last year, if you're interested!

I also have a few earlier answers on medieval spies and spying more generally:

There are a few specific people mentioned (the queen of Antioch as a recruit!), but the answers should give you the grounding to create your own character pretty nicely. :)

Have fun!