Tides in the affairs of men : the social history of Elizabethan seamen, 1580-1603 / Cheryl A. Fury.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fury, Cheryl A., 1966-

Series:

Contributions in military studies ; no. 214.

Contributions in military studies, 0883-6884 ; no. 214

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sailors--England--History--16th century.

Sailors.

Great Britain--History, Naval--Tudors, 1485-1603.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 293 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The age of maritime expansion and the Anglo-Spanish War have been analyzed by generations of historians, but nearly all studies have emphasized events and participants at the top. This book examines the lives and experiences of the men of the Elizabethan maritime community during a particularly volatile period of maritime history. The seafaring community had to contend with simultaneous pressures from many different directions. Shipowners and merchants, motivated by profit, hired seamen to sail voyages of ever-increasing distances, which taxed the health and capabilities of 16th-century crews and vessels. International tensions in the last two decades of Elizabeth's reign magnified the risks to all seamen, whether in civilian employment or on warships. The advent of open warfare with Spain in 1585 resulted in a privateering war against the Spanish Empire, seen by some seamen as one of the few boons of the conflict. The other major development was the introduction of impressment, a deeply resented aspect of any naval war and one that brought great hardship to seamen and their families. The relationship between the Crown and its seafarers was a pull-haul between a state beset by financial problems of fighting a protracted war on several fronts and employees forced to work in dangerous conditions for substandard wages. The stresses of the war years tell us much about the dynamic of the maritime community, their expectations, and their coping strategies.

Contents:

Intro

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

1. Training and Manning the English Maritime Community

2. Authority, Discipline, and the Maritime Social Order

3. Maritime Subculture, Labor Relations, and the Role of Custom

4. Victualing, Morbidity, Mortality, and Health Care

5. Life Ashore

6. Conclusion

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [265]-285) and index.

ISBN:

9780313074240

0313074240

OCLC:

70769527