The Surprising History of the British Merchant Navy
1500 – 2005
Richard Woodman
This unique five-volume series is a detailed account of a neglected yet vital aspect of British history – that of its merchant marine which began to assert national ambition and identity from the time of the Tudors. From a reckless and aggressive mixture of trade, exploration and opportunist warfare, much of which amounted to state-sponsored piracy, it was the merchant adventurers who dislodged first Spain and then The Netherlands from their positions of maritime supremacy, to found the world’s first great corporation, the East India Company.