A Social History of British Naval Officers, 1775-1815 (Hardcover)

Who were the men who officered the Royal Navy in Nelson's day? This book explores the world of British naval officers at the height of the Royal Navy's power in the age of sail. It describes the full spectrum of officers, from commissioned officers to the unheralded but essential members of every ship's company, the warrant officers. The book focusses on naval officers' social status and its implications for their careers. The demands of life at sea conflicted with the expectations of genteel behaviour and backgroundin eighteenth-century Britain, and the ways officers grappled with this challenge forms a key theme. Drawing on a large database of more than a thousand officers, the book argues that, contrary to the prevailing view, officers were mostly from the middling sort, not the landed elite. It shows how the navy attracted hordes of hopeful commissioned officers, how unemployment was common for the majority even in wartime, and how only a select group managed to gain promotion to post-captain. The book corrects our understanding of the men who lived and served in the wardrooms of the Royal Navy and refocusses our attention away from those who won fame and fortune and onto ordinary naval officers. EVAN WILSON is Associate Director of International Security Studies and Lecturer in History at Yale University.

General

Imprint:	The Boydell Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	February 2017
Authors:	Evan Wilson (Customer)
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 27mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	306
ISBN-13:	978-1-78327-174-0
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Naval forces & warfare Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Maritime history Books > History > British & Irish history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Maritime history Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Promotions
LSN:	1-78327-174-4
Barcode:	9781783271740

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