Born of pillage and plunder: English privateers and the birth of the Royal Navy, 1585-1642.

摘要

This thesis seeks to examine where and how privateers fit into the composition and development of the Royal Navy, beginning with the outbreak of the Spanish War in 1585 and ending with the beginning of the English civil wars in 1642. A chapter each will be dedicated to Elizabeth I, James VI and I, and Charles I and these will examine the role and use of privateers and compare this against the changes taking place in the Royal Navy at the time.;Elizabeth I utilized an effective mix of private and public interests in her Royal Navy, which saw a return under Charles, although it was not fully realized until Parliament took control of the fleets in 1642. In the interim, James I's decision to outlaw privateering, and his reliance on the advice of his unqualified and inexperienced gentleman favourites led to the Royal Navy becoming a highly corrupted and inert force. The potential that James had inherited from Elizabeth in regards to English seapower was unrealized as naval officials motivated by personal avarice both literally and figuratively stripped the Royal Fleet of its power. Charles, with his understanding of the importance of skilled seamen to the English Navy, took the steps needed to reverse this decline albeit through dubious and unconventional means. During the Caroline era privateers again rose to prominence, and their exploits aided in the redevelopment of the navy as an effective arm of government. However, the time of Charles's rule was different than those of both Elizabeth and James, and the King's attempts to return of the Royal Navy to its former power failed to take into account the demands of a population whose cries for a navy to protect shipping went unheeded. These demands would not be fully realized until Parliament took control of the navy, but the foundation for the immensely successful and remarkably powerful Royal Navy of Horatio Nelson was laid in the early modern period under the rule of such monarchs as Queen Elizabeth I and King Charles I.