This volume presents Greek Maritime History and unravels the historical trajectory of a maritime nation par excellence in the Eastern Mediterranean. At the core of the book lies the rise of the Greek merchant fleet and its transformation from a peripheral to an international carrier. Following the evolution of Greek shipping for more than three centuries (17th-20th century), the book traces a maritime nation in its making and provides proof of a different, yet successful pattern of maritime development compared to other European maritime nations. The chapters adopt a multidimensional and interdisciplinary approach - spanning from shipping, fishing and trade to piracy, technology, human resources and entrepreneurship - and reflect the main directions of Greek maritime historiography over the last thirty years. Contributors are: Apostolos Delis, Dimitris Dimitropoulos, Zisis Fotakis, Katerina Galani, Gelina Harlaftis, Evdokia Olympitou, Gerassimos D. Pagratis, Alexandra Papadopoulou, Socrates Petmezas, Evrydiki Sifneos, Anna Sydorenko, Ioannis Theotokas, and Katerina Vourkatioti.

In British shipping in the Mediterranean Katerina Galani investigates the impact of the French and Napoleonic wars on British maritime economic activity. Due to the close cooperation of the public and private sector at sea, the British adopted flexible business strategies to mitigate economic warfare and sustain shipping and trade in the Mediterranean. The book offers a comprehensive approach by combining the study of international relations, ports, ships, business organisation, deep-sea voyages and intra-Mediterranean navigation. Katerina Galani conceptualises the Mediterranean as an economic entity and she insightfully examines, for the first time, free traders along with the chartered Levant Company. Her analysis draws upon a unique collection of British and Mediterranean sources to construct a multifaceted view of British maritime activity.