The world encompassed : the first European maritime empires, c. 800-1650

by Geoffrey Vaughan Scammell

First published in 1987. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Genres: History

536 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

An authority on Tudor and Stuart maritime history, Geoffrey Scammell was fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Reviews

[Mark Singer]

Scammell provides a brief but pithy description of the expansion of nine different European maritime empires: The Norse, the Hanse (aka The Hanseatic League), The Venetian Republic, the Genoese Republic, Portugal, Spain, Holland, France, and England. There maps are detailed enough to match the text, and there is a detailed bibliography on each "empire". I would recommend this as a starter book to anyone interested in this subject.

[Marcus]

Reads like a textbook. Actually, I think it is a textbook. Regardless, it's packed with a great deal of information about the North Atlantic maritime cultures 800-1000, and does a good job of following the evolution of technology related to its seafaring culture's power. Very informative, particularly about lesser known maritime empires. Can't say I'd read it twice, though.