After 1649, England fought three wars with the foremost naval power in Europe at the time, the United Provinces (The Netherlands). But the development of the navy did not guarantee immediate success, especially considering that the Dutch remained the foremost navy power in the Atlantic. After Cromwell’s death and the restoration of the Stuart Dynasty in 1660, the navy built another 25 battleships of the first, second and third classes. Between 16 the navy grew by an outstanding 217 vessels: 111 captured and 106 were built. At this time the now Protestant island nation began to rely on its navy as the source of their wealth and defence. The development of the English Navy really took off under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, known as the Lord Protector of the English throne after the end of the civil wars in 1649. After studying the development of the English navy from 1649-1815, it is clear that it played a crucial role in establishing Great Britain as the foremost, military, economic and imperial power in the world by the end of the Napoleonic wars. This paper will primarily deal with the development of the navy from the period 1649-1815, which is the subject of N.A.M Roger’s groundbreaking book, The Command of the Ocean. And in return the navy would provide the English merchant class with access to foreign markets through war and coercion whenever needed. It would rely on foreign trade by English merchants for its finance. At this time the navy began to develop, eventually it would become the most powerful in the world. This process largely began after the end of the English Civil War which pinned King against Parliament and ended with the dictatorship of a highly talented but authoritarian general Oliver Cromwell in 1649. The British Empire relied on its military and economic strength to further its aim.
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