Description
First published in 1983, England’s Sea Empire was originally part of the Early Modern Europe Today book series. It explores the relationships between the increase of English merchant shipping, the growth of naval power and the early experiments in overseas trade and colonisation. No other book combines these topics for the period from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century. In dealing with economic, strategic and technical problems, the authors write in language which is intelligible to non-specialist readers. They illustrate the arguments with generous quotations from contemporary sources and with maps of the regions under discussion. This book will be of value on undergraduate courses in early British or colonial or maritime history.
Table of Contents
Editor’s Preface List of Maps An Introduction Bibliographical Essay 1. Trade and Discovery Overseas, 1550-1585 2. The Making of a Navy 3. New Worlds and the Old in Foreign Policy and Strategy to 1585 4. Honour, Safety and Profit, 1585-1604 5. Plunder and Exploration in Time of War, 1585-1604 6. Beginnings of Imperial Expansion, 1604-1624 7. Economic and Colonial Problems of a divided Society, 1624-1642 8. Ships and Money, 1604-1642 A Note in Conclusion Index
