The histories of the British and Irish civil wars of the mid-Seventeenth century are usually written from the perspective of the conflict fought on land while the strategic importance of the war at sea which contributed so much to Parliament’s eventual victory, is often ignored or only mentioned in passing.
But these maritime engagements were an integral part of the conflict leaving the Royalists isolated from the strategic and logistical its Continental sympathisers as well as its Protestant allies in Ireland.
And in the longer term, the lessons learned and the innovations introduced by the navy and its commanders at this time proved to be critically important in the evolution of Britain’s maritime dominance and its development of an empire founded on global naval power.
In this programme, naval historian Elaine Murphy, Associate Professor in History at the University of Plymouth, traces the chronology of the wars at sea and compares the strengths and weaknesses of the Royalist and Parliamentarian navies. She explains how the engagements were fought and introduces us to the seamen and officers of the two navies.
