War and Mercantilism

Commonwealth NavyFirst Anglo-Dutch War 1652-1654

Anglo-Spanish War 1654-1660

Mercantilism

• Thomas Mun (1571-1641)• Emphases– Acquisition of gold and silver– Balance of trade– State Intervention

First Crude Estimates of National Account

Aspects

• Monopolizing markets with staple ports• Banning the export of gold and silver • Forbidding trade to be carried in foreign ships • Forbidding colonies to trade with other

nations• Subsidies for manufacturing and exports• Maximizing the use of domestic resources

Commonwealth Navy

• Administration – Admiralty Committee• Generals of the sea– Qualifications• Loyalty• Military record• Naval experience not necessary

Generals-at-SeaEdward Popham

(d. 1651)

Richard Deane (d. 1653)

Robert Blake

(d. 1657)

George Monck John Disbrow William Penn (dismissed, 1665)Edward Montague

Vice-admiralsJames Peacock (d. 1653), Richard Badiley (d. 1657)

Manning the Navy

• Preference for gentry as captains• “Tarpaulin captains”

"Better plain men than none" Cromwell• Rewards for seamen from captured ships• Problems– Poor food and clothing– Impressment

Classes of Captains

• Seaman “tarpaulin captain”– Merchant, craftsman, – Serve apprenticeships

• Gentleman– Court background, younger sons of gentry– Sometimes served short time as crew; often sailed

as volunteers

Classes of Captains

A seaman captain takes up less of the shipp for his accommodation.A gentleman captain claims the steridge for his grandeur, quarter deck for his pidgeons etc.A seaman is familiar amongst his men, talking to severall on the watch, is upon deck all night in foul weather, gives the most active a dram of his bottle.A gentleman has a sentinall at his great cabbin doore (to keep silence in the belfry) and oft times beates his master for not comeing to him forthwith when hee rings his bell in the night...."

Daily Rations1622 1689

Bread/biscuits 1 lb. 1 ½ lbBeer 1 gallon 1 gallonMeat 2 lb salt beef

1 lb pork and peas4 days/week 2 lb

Haddock 3 days/week

Butter and cheese

2 oz. butter4oz. cheese

3 days/week 8 oz./month

Shipbuilding

1649-1651 20 new ships; capture or buy 25 ships• Frigates

Fast, light ships

Challenges for the Commonwealth Navy

• Pirate and privateer attacks on Mediterranean shipping– French– Barbary Coast states

• Royalists in exile under Prince Rupert• Dutch

Dealing with Royalists Abroad

• Attack Portuguese shipping to sway Portugal to not harbor Royalists under Prince Rupert

• 1651 Scilly Isles• 1651 Jersey– Amphibious landing at night

Convoys

October 1650 Rump Parliament passes act authorizing naval ships in convoys1651 First Mediterranean convoy

Dutch Navy

1648 Peace of Münster between Dutch Republic and Spain ends 80 years of conflict– Lifting of Spanish embargo– Widening split between House of Orange and

Republic– Dutch reduce size of their navy– Increase in Dutch trade in the Mediterranean

Competition with English trade

Dutch Advantage

• Could ship colonial goods more cheaply• Offered a greater variety of products• Had sugar colonies in Brazil and then

Suriname

Navigation Act of 1651

English ships only for• Imported goods from Asia and Africa• Imported goods from non-English America• Exports from England's American coloniesImported fish or whale products had to be caught by English shipsImported goods from Europe had to arrive in in English ships or in ships coming directly from the producing country.

Battles of the First Anglo-Dutch War

First Anglo-Dutch War 1652

March 1652 Immediate cause: English demand that Dutch ships strike their flags in the presence of an English warship and submit to search for contraband. Dutch resist.May Blake's fleet clashes with Tromp in the Channel.October Battle of Kentish KnockNovember Battle of Dungeness

Tromp defeats divided English fleets

England Naval Expenses

October 1652, Battle of Kentish Knock

March 1653, Battle of Leghorn

First Anglo-Dutch War

February 1653 Battle of Portland: English regain command of the Channel.

July Battle of Scheveningen: last battle; Admiral Tromp killed; Dutch lose 30 men-at-war, 1,600 sailorsFebruary 1654 Netherlands States General the

recognizes the Protectorate; peace

July 1653Battle of Scheveningen

Death of Admiral Tromp

First Anglo-Dutch War

February 1654 Netherlands States General the recognizes the Protectorate;

Negotiate peace

1654, Treaty of Westminster

• Reciprocal indemnification for trade injuries• East India company remains blocked from East

Indies• Secret provision excludes Prince William of

Orange from government• Arbitration of disputes by Switzerland• Failure to get union of the countries and

negotiate boundaries between Dutch and English colonies

1654 Anglo-French Conflict

Robert Sedgwick plans to attack New Netherlands from MassachusettsPeace with DutchWith 100 MA volunteers

& 200 English professionals attacks French forts Pentagouet, St. John & Port Royal (now Annapolis)

Attempt to Control the Mediterranean

1655 Blake prevents French attack on NaplesDiplomatic efforts with Tunis fail to get release of English captivesDestruction of Tunisian/Turkish fleet at Porto FarinaRansom of English captives in Algiers

Anglo-Spanish War- “Western Design”

• Attack Spanish empire in the West Indies– William Penn, General of the Sea– Robert Venables, general of the land forces

• Failed to capture Santo Domingo, Hispaniola• Went on to capture Jamaica

Christopher Myngs (1625-66)

• Claimed to be son of shoemaker (actually a landowner

• Mediterranean in December 1651 with convoy• Second in command and then Captain of the

Elizabeth in the First Dutch War• Brought settlers from Nevis to Jamaica

Myngs

• Suspected in playing a part in £200,000 to £300,000, missing after capture of a Spanish ship

• Exonerated• Vice-admiral in Restoration Navy• Killed in 2nd Anglo-Dutch War

Anglo-Spanish War

1656 Blockade of Cadiz and sinking of silver ships causes financial losses for SpainRaids on Vigo and Malaga1657 Destruction of Spanish fleet at Santa Cruz but no attempt to take port

Peace

1659 Peace of the Pyrenees– End of war between France and Spain

1660 After Restoration Charles II makes peace1662 Sale of Dunkirk to FranceConsequences of war

JamaicaLoss of English shipping tradeRegain of Dutch shipping trade