“It is not surprising that only one medieval state, Venice, long possessed anything clearly identifiavble as a navy in this sense. We shall see that no state in the British Isles attained attained this level of sophistication before the 16th century, and no history of the Royal Navy, in any exact sense of the words, could legitimately begin much before then. This book, which does, is not an institutional history of the Royal Navy, but a history of naval warfare as an aspect of national history. All and any methods of fighting at sea, or using the sea for warlike purposes, are its concern.” LongDoeBookStatesPurposeFightingLevelsSeaCenturyConcernAspectMethodBritishSurprisingPossessedWarfareRoyalNavyMedievalVeniceSophisticationNavalIsleRoyal NavyNaval Warfare Author:Nicholas Rodger
“Medieval England was a great military power with a sophisticated machinery of government, but her naval administration, at best improvised and for long periods missing altogether, pointed to a grave weakness: the lack of any reliable means of putting a force of warships at the disposal of the crown. Only Richard I and Henry V of all the kings of England can be said to have understood the problem and attempted to remedy it. It is no coincidence that they wer by far the most successful in war.” MeanLongSaidWarProblemGovernmentForceSuccessfulMilitaryMissingKingsPeriodsUnderstoodWeaknessEnglandGravesAdministrationRemedyCrownsSophisticatedCoincidenceMachineryMedievalNavalMilitary PowerGreat MilitaryHenry VWarships Author:Nicholas Rodger
