‘Amphibious Agents’

By the mid nineteenth century, the terms ‘female diplomacy’ and ‘female diplomat’ had begun to creep into contemporary usage, as women sought to exert influence in international politics. This chapter places Mary within this wider context of female diplomatic activity and focuses on her role as an agent of international politics. It examines her involvement in international affairs, considering her connections with diplomats, ambassadors, and foreign politicians. It explores two connected facets of her activities as a diplomatic agent: her role in the dissemination of news and intelligence and her function as an advisor. It also explores Mary’s intellectual ideas about international affairs, and her opinions on key diplomatic developments. As this chapter will suggest, incorporating the activities of diplomatic women into the narrative of international affairs forces us to think afresh about the types of sources used to construct diplomatic history, as well as the nature of nineteenth-century diplomatic life itself.