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

by Jan Glete

Overview

Warfare at Sea, 1500-1650 is the first truly international study of warfare at sea in this period. Commencing in the late fifteenth century with the introduction of gunpowder in naval warfare and the rapid transformation of maritime trade, Warfare at Sea focuses on the scope and limitations of war before the advent of the big battle fleets from the middle of the seventeenth 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134610785
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/04/2002
Series:	Warfare and History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	783 KB

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Preface, Maps, 1. Warfare at sea in European history, 2. Technology, tactics and strategy, 3. Seamen, soldiers and changing maritime societies, 4. States, organisations and maritime wars, 5. The Portuguese in maritime Asia, 1498–1600, 6. The Mediterranean: the failure of empires, 7. Maritime state formation and empire building in the Baltic, 8. War in Western Europe until 1560, 9. Atlantic warfare until 1603, 10. The first global war at sea, 1600–1650, 11. Conclusion, Appendix: major sailing navies and galley navies, 1500–1650, Notes, Select bibliography, Index

Editorial Reviews

"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."

From the Publisher