The audacious crimes of Colonel Blood : the spy who stole the crown jewels & became the King's secret agent

Summary: Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London on 9 May 1671, escaping with St Edward's crown and the coronation regalia hidden in the breeches of his accomplices. When he was arrested, he happily acknowledged that the outrage 'was a gallant attempt that failed...but it was for a crown'. But Blood was not just a daring thief attempting one of the greatest crimes in English history: he had already been involved in an abortive coup d'etat in his native Ireland, the attempted murder of the Duke of Ormond outside Clarence House, and an attempted assassination of Charles II while the king was swimming in the River Thames. Why was Blood not immediately executed for treason? The plain truth is that this brash adventurer was more useful to Charles alive than hanging from the gallows. Smooth-talking and brimming with Irish charm and wit, Blood became a spy for the king, eavesdropping on the whispers and gossip within the feverish atmosphere of the court, while also acting as a double agent for those conspiring to kill the king or being employed by politicians to bring down their rivals. 'It's no matter if one lets me fall,' Blood proclaimed, 'another takes me up. I'm the best tool they have'. Robert Hutchinson grippingly describes the hotbed of political intrigue and conspiracy surrounding the 'Merry Monarch'.