基本説明
Assesses the traditional picture of the Restoration Navy in the light of recent scholarship. Using evidence not only of Pepys but also of his contemporaries.
Full Description
This is the first scholarly study of the Royal Navy during the reigns of Charles II and James II. Historians have long viewed the Restoration Navy through the eyes of Samuel Pepys, the greatest diarist and naval administrator of the age. Perceptive and intelligent as Pepys was, he presented only a one-sided view of the Navy, that of a bureaucrat attempting to reorganize it.
J. D. Davies assesses this traditional picture of the Restoration Navy in the light of recent scholarship, using the evidence not only of Pepys but of his contemporaries. He examines the reactions of naval personnel to the demands imposed by Pepys, and analyses the structure of the service. He also explores the lives and attitudes of the men (the `tarpaulins') and their officers - the quests for promotion, enrichment, and glory; the very different problems posed by peace and war; the nature of life at sea; and the role of the Navy in national life. Gentlemen and Tarpaulins provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of the Royal Navy.
Contents
Part I. The Nature of the Sea Service: The King's Navy; The officers: recruitment and promotion; The gentleman-tarpaulin issue and the reform of the officer corps; The seamen; The elements of naval life; Religion; Part II. The Navy in Peace, War, and Revolution: The restoration; The second Dutch war and its aftermath; The third dutch war; The years of peace; The revolution of 1688
