Golden Ages of the Royal Navy

Issue number: 36 – March 2013 (KA 36)

The story of the Royal Navy is a vital part of the story of Britain. Our greatest heroes are sailors; our most memorable victories were won at sea. It is a long and distinguished story, going back to the Tudors and continuing right up to the present day. One period stands out as a true ‘golden age’ – the years between 1756 and 1815.

This period was indeed an exceptional one for the navy. This is when the myth of its superiority, propagated by Richard Haklyut’s thousand year history, Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, culminating with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, at last became a reality. Rising through the administrative brilliance of Samuel Pepys, George Anson and the Earl of Sandwich and the inspirational leadership of Robert Blake, Edward Hawke and Horatio Nelson, the Royal Navy became the most powerful force in the world. At the end of the Napoleonic era the Royal Navy really did rule the waves.

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