The sea dogs : privateers, plunder and piracy in the Elizabethan age

Beskrivning:

THE SEA DOGS
SWASHBUCKLING ON THE HIGH SEAS
The spirit and derring-do of the men who sailed in Her Maj esty's service in the sixteenth century are captured in this tale of privateering, discovery, trade, and naval warfare.
Here are the daring exploits of the Elizabethan sea dogs who established England as the foremost maritime and colonial power in the 1500S and thus bequeathed the nation a heritage that would endure for generations. At a time when her navy was a mere handful of fighting ships, England depended for her security on the courage and enterprise of men like Drake, Hawkins, Grenvile, and Raleigh, and upon the wealth of privately owned mercantile shipping that could be pressed into the nation's service in times of crisis.
The menacing power of Catholic Spain and the vulnerability of her great treasure fleets tempted England's privateers with the opportunity to exploit a convenient -
coincidence of political expediency and seif-interest. They sailed under letters of marque from a sovereign who, while wary of political repercussions, was herselfanxious for a share in the profits. At the same time a recession in the European markets prompted an upsurge of interest in exploration and colonization. Merchants, statesmen, and courtiers gambled large investments in numerous voyages of discovery: Willoughby and Chancellor opened up a trade route to Muscovy; Sir Humphrey Gilbert and John Davys, in tum, searched for the fabled north-west passage to Cathay. Drake and Cavendish carried the search for new markets into the Pacific and Indian oceans. Dr. Williams' book is an authoritative reappraisal of the collective achievements of these intrepid seamen and a colorful study of the interrelation of maritime development and high adventure, diplomatic conspiracy and court intrigue, bitter rivalry and human courage, in what was perhaps the most decisive and adventurous haif-century of modern world history.
Neville Williams, who is Secretary of the British Academy, was formerly Deputy Keeper of Public Records at the Public Record Office, London. His writings, which have earned him a high place as a Tudor historian, inciude Henry VIII and His Court, All the Queen's Men, Elizabeth 1, Queen of England, The Life and Times of Henry VII, The Life and Times of Elizabeth 1, Francis Drake and The Chronology of the Expanding World.

Historia Brittiska Öarna England Tudortiden