‘I am behind the Scenes’

Chapter 7 focuses on the diplomatic role Mary played during the first eighteen months of the Great Eastern Crisis. Sparked by internal unrest in the Ottoman Empire, this major diplomatic event engulfed European politics during the years 1875–1878. The chapter places Mary within this international narrative and considers her role as ‘diplomat’. It reveals the reality of her political and diplomatic activities at the centre of the British Government and it explores Mary’s specific forms of influence: acting as an intermediary between the Foreign Office, the Prime Minister, and her contacts inside the Ottoman Empire; offering diplomatic advice to the cabinet; instructing the British representatives in Constantinople; and working closely with the Russian Ambassador to avert an Anglo-Russian conflict. In uncovering these activities and placing them within a wider international narrative, this chapter represents a critical intervention in the history of female diplomatic activity.