Cromwell's Navy: The Fleet and the English Revolution, 1648-1660

This is the first study of the navy during the English Revolution. It argues that the commonwealth navy did not, as is often assumed, stand back from domestic political controversies, but was deeply influenced by the revolutionary circumstances of its origins. Bernard Capp charts the navy's central role in the struggle to win recognition for the new regime, and in the major wars which followed. Based on extensive and meticulous research, this book provides a richly detailed insight into a neglected subject, and enhances our understanding of the Cromwellian period as a whole.