Warfare at Sea, 1500-1650: Maritime Conflicts and the Transformation of Europe

Description

Commencing in the late 15th century with the introduction of gunpowder in naval warfare and the rapid transformation of maritime trade, this book focuses on the scope and limitations of war before the advent of the big battle fleets from the middle of the 17th century. The book also compares the social history of seamen and the early officer corps in several European countries and includes discussion on Spain, Portugal, France, Venice, the Ottoman Empire and the Baltic states.

Jan Glete is Lecturer in History at Stockholm University in Sweden, and his books include Navies and Nations: Warships, navies and state building in Europe and America, 1500-1860.

"In making these European-wide thematic surveys, Glete creates a stimulating synthesis of recent scholarly literature, citing works in Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Portuguese. Many of the findings contained in these works have not been considered in the English-language literature for this period.... Glete presents an intriguing argument that progress in maritime affairs in this period was uneven...."-John B. Hattendorf, United States Naval War College "Readers are provided with succinct summaries of all important naval tactics, military strategies, and sea battles, changes in maritime technology, commercial structures and states, and the major historiographical debates. The result is an expert, concise account of a large topic with a clear thesis. --James D. Alsop, "International Journal of Maritime History."