Beginning with England poised to take over as foremost world trading and naval power, leading through the epic struggle of both maritime powers against Bourbon France, this volume, originally published in 1982, concludes with England's assumption of the 'Sovereignty of the Seas'. In this challenging view of naval history, which also embraces economics, finance and philosophy, political and individual freedoms are seen not so much as a cultural heritage, but as the necessary bed-fellos of 'Sea Power' and incompatible with its antithesis, 'Territorial Power'.