The Spy Who Shaped Britain: Daniel Defoe and the Secret Politics of Union

What if one of the founders of the English novel was also a spy?

In this episode of Spymasters, host Paul Burke speaks with historian Marc Mierowski about the extraordinary secret career of Daniel Defoe.

Today Defoe is remembered as the author of Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, and Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress. But long before he became a novelist, he operated in the murky world of intelligence, propaganda, and political influence.

Working for the powerful minister Robert Harley, Defoe became a key government agent during the negotiations that led to the Acts of Union 1707.

He infiltrated political networks, shaped public opinion through pamphlets, and gathered intelligence across Scotland as Britain struggled to create a new unified state.

In this fascinating conversation, we explore:

• How Daniel Defoe became a government spy

• The intelligence war behind the Act of Union

• Pamphlets as the “social media” of the 18th century

• The economic and political crisis after the Darien Scheme

• The hidden networks of spies, propagandists and political operatives

• Why Defoe may have been one of Britain’s earliest modern intelligence agents

This is the hidden world of espionage behind one of the most important political transformations in British history.

• The Club — Leo Damrosch

• The Lunar Men — Jenny Uglow

• King Leopold’s Ghost — Adam Hochschild

• The Wife of Bath — Marion Turner

• Parallel Lives — Phyllis Rose

Also mentioned

• Janet Malcolm — discussed as an admired writer

• William Dalrymple — referenced in relation to his books on the East India Company

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