In this study Akkeman analyses the role of early modern women spies, demonstrating that the allegedly-male world of the spy was more than merely infiltrated by women. This contribution to the history of espionage details a series of case studies in which women, from playwright to postmistress, from lady-in-waiting to laundry woman, acted as spies, sourcing and passing on confidential information on account of political and religious convictions or to obtain money or power.