Kings of the Sea

Charles II, James II & the Royal Navy

Leesfragment
€13,99
  • It
  • has
  • always
  • been
  • widely
  • accepted
  • that
  • the
  • Stuart
  • kings,
  • Charles
  • II
  • and
  • James
  • II,
  • had
  • an
  • interest
  • in
  • the
  • navy
  • and
  • more
  • generally
  • in
  • the
  • sea.
  • Their
  • enthusiastic
  • delight
  • in
  • sailing,
  • for
  • instance,
  • is
  • often
  • cited
  • as
  • marking
  • the
  • establishment
  • of
  • yachting
  • in
  • England.
  • The
  • major
  • naval
  • developments
  • in
  • their
  • reigns
  • on
  • the
  • other
  • hand
  • developments
  • that
  • effectively
  • turned
  • the
  • Royal
  • Navy
  • into
  • a
  • permanent,
  • professional
  • fighting
  • force
  • for
  • the
  • first
  • time
  • have
  • traditionally
  • been
  • attributed
  • to
  • Samuel
  • Pepys.This
  • new
  • book,
  • based
  • on
  • a
  • wide
  • range
  • of
  • new
  • and
  • previously
  • neglected
  • evidence,
  • presents
  • a
  • provocative
  • new
  • theory:
  • that
  • the
  • creation
  • of
  • the
  • proper
  • Royal
  • Navy
  • was
  • in
  • fact
  • due
  • principally
  • to
  • the
  • Stuart
  • brothers,
  • particularly
  • Charles
  • II,
  • who
  • is
  • presented
  • here,
  • not
  • as
  • the
  • lazy
  • monarch
  • neglectful
  • of
  • the
  • detail
  • of
  • government,
  • but
  • as
  • a
  • king
  • with
  • an
  • acute
  • and
  • detailed
  • interest
  • in
  • naval
  • affairs.
  • The
  • author
  • also
  • demonstrates
  • that
  • Charles
  • Stuart
  • predecessors
  • were
  • far
  • more
  • directly
  • involved
  • in
  • naval
  • matters
  • than
  • has
  • usually
  • been
  • allowed,
  • and
  • proves
  • that
  • Charles
  • and
  • James
  • command
  • of
  • ship
  • design
  • and
  • other
  • technical
  • matters
  • went
  • well
  • beyond
  • the
  • bounds
  • of
  • dilettante
  • enthusiasm.It
  • is
  • shown
  • how
  • Charles
  • in
  • particular,
  • intervened
  • in
  • ship
  • design
  • discussions
  • at
  • a
  • highly
  • technical
  • level;
  • how
  • the
  • brothers
  • were
  • principally
  • responsible
  • for
  • the
  • major
  • reforms
  • that
  • established
  • a
  • permanent
  • naval
  • profession;
  • and
  • how
  • they
  • personally
  • sponsored
  • important
  • expeditions
  • and
  • projects
  • such
  • as
  • Greenvile
  • Collins
  • survey
  • of
  • British
  • waters.
  • The
  • book
  • also
  • reassesses
  • James
  • IIs
  • record
  • as
  • a
  • fighting
  • admiral.It
  • is
  • a
  • fascinating
  • journey
  • into
  • the
  • world
  • of
  • the
  • Stuart
  • navy
  • and
  • shows
  • how
  • the
  • Kings
  • of
  • the
  • Sea
  • were
  • absolutely
  • central
  • to
  • the
  • development
  • of
  • its
  • ships,
  • their
  • deployment
  • and
  • the
  • officer
  • corps
  • which
  • commanded
  • them;
  • it
  • offers
  • a
  • major
  • reassessment
  • of
  • that
  • dynastys
  • involvement
  • in
  • naval warfare.
1 of 298
pro-mbooks3 : libris