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

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.

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."