Tide of Empires: Decisive Naval Campaigns in the Rise of the West 1481-1654

Description

Stripped of dogma, national bias and historical legend, this volume of naval history deals with the preiod from Ventian sea supremacy and the Portuguese campaigns of discovery to the Dutch conquest of a world-wide maritime empire, and finally the emergence of England as a serious rival to the Dutch. The author describes the ships, weapons, men and nations who developed ship design and naval strategy, but also examines the strengths and weaknesses of particular commanders. He sees the rise of the West as an economic battle for world markets during which brief intervals of ‘peace’ were determined solely by exhaustion. FOREWORD INTRODUCTION chapter 1 - THE CAMPAIGN OF DISCOVERY chapter 1 - THE CAMPAIGN OF DISCOVERY chapter 1 - THE CAMPAIGN OF DISCOVERY chapter 2 - THE CONQUEST OF THE INDIAN OCEAN chapter 2 - THE CONQUEST OF THE INDIAN OCEAN chapter 2 - THE CONQUEST OF THE INDIAN OCEAN chapter 3 - THE MEDITERRANEAN CENTRE chapter 3 - THE MEDITERRANEAN CENTRE chapter 3 - THE MEDITERRANEAN CENTRE chapter 4 - ATLANTIC WEALTH chapter 4 - ATLANTIC WEALTH chapter 5 - THE DUTCH EMPIRE OF THE OCEANS chapter 5 - THE DUTCH EMPIRE OF THE OCEANS chapter 5 - THE DUTCH EMPIRE OF THE OCEANS chapter 6 - THE RISE OF ENGLAND chapter 6 - THE RISE OF ENGLAND GLOSSARY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS