The Anglo-Zulu War may be best remembered for the military blundering that led to the astonishing British defeat at Isandlwana, but as Stephen Wade shows in this book, military action throughout the war was supplemented by the actions of spies and explorers in the field, and was often heavily influenced by the decisions made by diplomats.Examining the roles of both spies and diplomats, the author looks at numerous influential figures in the conflict, including John Dunn, who fought with the British during the campaign, becoming ruler of part of Zululand after its conquest and even being presented to Queen Victoria. Diplomats include Sir Theophilus Shepstone, who was responsible for directing native affairs in Natal, and was so respected by the Zulus they called him Father.This unique and fascinating account of espionage and diplomacy in the nineteenth century demonstrates not only a side of warfare rarely considered in traditional histories of the period, but also gives examples of individuals who were able to earn the respect and trust of the native peoples, another rarely seen facet of the colonial period.

There have been a great many books written on military intelligence and the secret services rooted in the twentieth century; however there is very little covering the activities of the men involved in the establishment of this fascinating institution. Its origins lie in the British Army: from the beginnings in the Topographical Department to the Boer War, when various factors made the foundation work of the eventual MI5 (founded in 1909) possible. Incredibly, there were two vast armies in the 1840s, both serving the state and Queen, yet no formally organized military intelligence bureau. Such ignorance of the enemy brought about many botched and bloody encounters, such as the notorious 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. The thrilling story of the various intelligence sources for the armed forces throughout the Victorian period is one of individuals, adventurers and small, ad hoc bodies set up by commanders when the need arose. Stephen Wade's enthralling book reveals the unsteady foundations of one of the country's most prominent and renowned organizations, tracing the various elements that gradually composed the intelligence and political branches of Britain's Secret Service.

Chief among the personnel at the Foreign Office is the Permanent Under-secretary, the senior civil servant who oversees the department and advises the Foreign Secretary. This book is a study of the twelve men who held this Office from 1854–1946.

Originally published in 1960, “[t]he political biography of Albrecht von Stosch (1818-1896), a prominent man of action, opens unique insights into the entire Bismarckian epoch. Stosch became a general, an admiral, and a minister of state. As Chief of the Admiralty he was the founder of the Imperial German Navy. He was also a member of the Prussian Chamber of Peers and of the Bundesrat, and he spoke in the Reichstag. His friendship with members of the royal family, the armed forces, the bureaucracy, and his close ties with journalists, members of the Reichstag and Bundesrat, and other leaders of public opinion gave him unusual opportunities to observe the German military and political system at work. His opportunities for observation, combined with a talent for expression and an objective temper of mind, make his published volume of memoirs one of the chief sources of the history of the German Wars of Unification. Paul Matter and Sir Charles G. Robertson, major biographers of Bismarck, regretted that the volume ends with the year 1871. The present study relies in part on the unpublished manuscripts in which Stosch carried the story into the 1890’s. [...] “In presenting the political life of Stosch, I have chosen to recount the events of his career and the development of his opinions at some length. It seems to me that truth in modern German history has suffered from the attempts of doctrinaire theorists to cut events and personalities to their own patterns and that what is needed is biographies and monographs which present more elaborate descriptions and more subtle and complex explanations of men and their actions than do books which drive a thesis. Also, it is hoped that to the general historian narrative and descriptive I detail in a specialized account will be more useful than a bare statement.”

When Alfred Milner was knighted, he took as his motto Communis Patria, 'patriotism for our common country'. This is the study of Milner, which takes his politics, or 'constructive' imperialism as its primary theme. It also discovers a group of young female supporters of his vision.