English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century Lectures Delivered at Oxford Easter Terms 1893-4

"English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century" by James Anthony Froude is a journey into England's transformation into a major sea power during the Reformation. Through a series of lectures, the book highlights figures like Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake, showcasing how England went from a vulnerable country to a naval superpower that famously defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. It proposes that the rise of Protestantism and advances in seamanship and naval technology played key roles in these English victories, further setting the stage to explain the religious conflicts and political tensions between England and Spain during this intense period of maritime expansion and naval battles.