Description
Book SynopsisGround-breaking history of how King Henry VIII created England''s navy
It was Henry VIII who began the process of making England a first-rate sea-power. He inherited no more than seven warships from Henry VII, yet at his own death the King''s Navy had 53 seaworthy ships afloat (much the same size as the Royal Navy today) manned by almost 8,000 sailors.
Henry VIII originally needed a navy to hold the English Channel and blockade the enemy while he invaded France. Later when invasion from the continent grew serious Henry''s navy fought in many actions.
Moorhouse doesn''t only deal with seagoing exploits. Thanks to Henry VIII dockyards were built (Greenwich and Deptford), timber had to be felled in quantities previously unknown (from land seized during the dissolution of the monasteries), and hemp (for rope) was harvested; new skills were developed, not least the gun-founders and the master shipwrights.
Some of the ships were celebrated - ''Henry Gra
Trade Review
'[A] detailed and atmospheric account' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Moorhouse is steeped in his subject and conveys the often daunting detail of maritime plenipotence with an infectious Patrick O'Brian-like enthusiasm' THE TIMES
