by Nicholas A. Lambert (1999)
For most of the twentieth century, historians thought that British naval policy was driven by the Anglo-German arms race. After examining a prodigious quantity of primary sources, Nicholas A. Lambert concludes that Admiralty decision-making was in fact driven by factors totally unrelated to the German building program. Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution explores the intrigue and negotiations between the Admiralty and leading domestic reformers of the day, such as Herbert H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill, and shows how the politicians regarded the issues of naval strategy and finance as central to the success of their proposed social reforms. Lambert also explains how Great Britain's naval leaders responded to these challenges under the direction of Admiral Sir John Fisher, the service head of the Admiralty from 1904 to 1910.
John Broich
Presents a true account of the British Royal Navy's efforts to end the illegal slave trade along Africas coast during the mid-1800s, conveying the story of four naval officers who were commited to ending the practice amid political corruption.
Angus Konstam
"With the launch of the Spanish Armada in 1588, England suffered its greatest threat since the Norman invasion some 500 years before. The Spanish King, Philip II had devised a complex plan whereby the armada would sail up the English Channel, pick up the Spanish Army of Flanders on the French coast and ferry them across to England. In response, Elizabeth I launched her fleet of Sea Dogs to counter the threat. Led by colorful characters like Sir Francis Drake, the English surprised the Spanish Armada at its anchorage at Gravelines, preventing their rendezvous and forcing a full retreat. Naval expert Angus Konstam details the background to the campaign, the opposing fleets, and the whole campaign, including the Armada's disastrous return voyage around Scotland and Ireland that became one of the most tragic episodes in maritime history. Fully illustrated with photographs, maps and artwork, this book is a action-packed account of one of the best known naval campaigns in world history."--Publisher's description.
Phillip Rock
The final installment of the saga of the Grevilles of Abingdon Pryory begins in the early 1930s, as the Jazz Age comes to a shattering end. What follows is a decade of change and uncertainty, as the younger generation comes of age.
David Delison Hebb
Piracy and the English Government, 1616-1642, explores two main themes. First, it explodes the myth that England was 'a nation of pirates'. In fact, the English people were far more often victims of piracy. The costs to the economy and society resulting from piracy are critically examined for the first time here. This investigation reveals that not only were hundreds of English ships lost to pirates in the period studied, but an astonishing number (approximately 8,000 men, women and children) were carried away to Barbary by pirates and sold into slavery. Losses from piracy posed significant political problems for the early Stuart government, and the response of the government to the problem is the second theme of this study. At times naval force was employed; on other occasions a policy of appeasement was favoured. The reasons behind the adoption of various policies are explored and related to broader political concerns and influences. In this sense, the book is an extended essay on policy-making in Early Stuart England.