Great Harry'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 his father King 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. Here was the springboard for Queen Elizabeth's captains (such as Francis Drake) a decade later.

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, timber had to be felled in quantities previously unknown and hemp (for rope) was harvested; new skills were developed, not least the gun-founders and the master shipwrights.

“'Moorhouse is steeped in his subject and conveys the often daunting detail of maritime plenipotence with an infectious Patrick O'Brian-like enthusiasm'”

'[A] detailed and atmospheric account' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH THE TIMES

Geoffrey Moorhouse was born in Lancashire, but lives in North Yorkshire. He was a journalist for The Guardian before he started writing books full-time.

Previous titles include:

To The Frontier

Calcutta

Sun Dancing

Sydney

The Pilgrimage of Grace

It was Henry VIII who began the process of making England a first-rate sea-power. He inherited no more than seven warships from his father King 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. Here was the springboard for Queen Elizabeth's captains (such as Francis Drake) a decade later.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, timber had to be felled in quantities previously unknown and hemp (for rope) was harvested; new skills were developed, not least the gun-founders and the master shipwrights.

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