Includes bibliographical references (pages 252-262) and index.

"This wide-ranging book spans the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and charts England's rise to international and colonial power. That rise was achieved, first through a growing awareness and then a conscious exploitation of England's powerful Atlantic situation and maritime potential." "Medieval England had been the focus of a fluctuating land based empire which had embraced much of France, but Early Modern England turned away from such aspirations and began to create a new role through developing sea power. This spread throughout the world beyond Europe, and particularly to the New World across the Atlantic, driven by ambitions which were commercial and intellectual rather than religious or dynastic." "Charting these developments, and the very origins of Empire, this book emphasises the increasing role of government; first in developing the navy, and then in deploying it to support commercial aggression. It is an important contribution to the imperial and naval history of Early Modern Britain."--Jacket.

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