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The Oxford History of the British Empire #1
The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire: British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth Century Vol 1
Volume I of the Oxford History of the British Empire explores the origins of empire. It shows how and why England, and later Britain, became involved with transoceanic navigation, trade, and settlement during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The chapters, by leading historians, both illustrate the interconnections between developments in Europe and overseas and offer specialist studies on every part of the world that was substantially affected by British colonial activity. As late as 1630, involvement with regions beyond the traditional confines of Europe was still tentative; by 1690 it had
556 pages, Paperback
First published March 9, 1998
19 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Canny
16 books4 followersNicholas Patrick Canny is an Irish historian and academic. Since the mid-1970s, Canny has been the leading authority on early modern Irish history. He has been a lecturer in Irish history in NUI Galway since 1972 and professor there since 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 15, 2012
Excellent and uniformly well-written essays on the beginnings of the British empire. This is definitely not a narrative history but the format allowed the editors to select the best specialists in each subject area. Some of the topics are: settlements in Ireland, overseas foreign relations (and competition), relations with Native Americans, and many others. Every chapter ends with a very good bibliography which should give direction to someone seeking more in-depth knowledge of the essay's subject. I will definitely be reading the other volumes of the set at some point.
February 2, 2025
Review for The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire: British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth Century (Specific Edition)
The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I delves into the foundational origins of the British Empire, particularly examining how England, and later Britain, began to develop its overseas enterprise during the 16th and 17th centuries. The first volume of this authoritative history looks at the early stages of British overseas involvement, exploring both the commercial and imperial motivations that drove the Empire’s expansion. Edited by Nicholas Canny, the volume presents a rigorous academic account of the evolution of Britain’s global enterprise, focusing on the interplay between European developments and the burgeoning overseas colonies.
Key Themes and Insights:
• Early Imperial Expansion: This volume captures how England’s initial ventures in overseas trade and exploration laid the groundwork for the empire’s eventual dominance. The analysis covers England’s involvement in transoceanic navigation, trade, and settlement, and how these factors contributed to the expansion of British influence across the globe.
• Interconnections Between Europe and Overseas Territories: The book underscores the interconnectedness of European developments with those occurring overseas. It examines how the political, economic, and social shifts in Europe, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, drove imperial activity, particularly in regions like the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
• The Rise of the British Empire: The volume also addresses how, by the end of the 17th century, Britain had expanded its colonial reach beyond the traditional confines of Europe, positioning itself as a key player in global trade and empire-building.
The scholarly nature of this volume provides a clear and comprehensive understanding of the early phases of British imperialism, focusing not just on the “how” of empire-building, but the underlying forces that made such expansion possible. The contributions by various historians offer nuanced perspectives on how this process unfolded.
Final Verdict:
This volume is an indispensable resource for anyone studying the origins of the British Empire. It provides a well-researched, meticulously detailed account of how England transformed from a regional power into one that would eventually dominate global trade and politics for centuries. While academic in nature, The Origins of Empire offers essential insight for historians and students of British history and colonialism.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) — A detailed and insightful exploration of the early years of the British Empire, though it is more focused on trade and early expansion than the military aspects that may interest some readers of imperial history.
The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I delves into the foundational origins of the British Empire, particularly examining how England, and later Britain, began to develop its overseas enterprise during the 16th and 17th centuries. The first volume of this authoritative history looks at the early stages of British overseas involvement, exploring both the commercial and imperial motivations that drove the Empire’s expansion. Edited by Nicholas Canny, the volume presents a rigorous academic account of the evolution of Britain’s global enterprise, focusing on the interplay between European developments and the burgeoning overseas colonies.
Key Themes and Insights:
• Early Imperial Expansion: This volume captures how England’s initial ventures in overseas trade and exploration laid the groundwork for the empire’s eventual dominance. The analysis covers England’s involvement in transoceanic navigation, trade, and settlement, and how these factors contributed to the expansion of British influence across the globe.
• Interconnections Between Europe and Overseas Territories: The book underscores the interconnectedness of European developments with those occurring overseas. It examines how the political, economic, and social shifts in Europe, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, drove imperial activity, particularly in regions like the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
• The Rise of the British Empire: The volume also addresses how, by the end of the 17th century, Britain had expanded its colonial reach beyond the traditional confines of Europe, positioning itself as a key player in global trade and empire-building.
The scholarly nature of this volume provides a clear and comprehensive understanding of the early phases of British imperialism, focusing not just on the “how” of empire-building, but the underlying forces that made such expansion possible. The contributions by various historians offer nuanced perspectives on how this process unfolded.
Final Verdict:
This volume is an indispensable resource for anyone studying the origins of the British Empire. It provides a well-researched, meticulously detailed account of how England transformed from a regional power into one that would eventually dominate global trade and politics for centuries. While academic in nature, The Origins of Empire offers essential insight for historians and students of British history and colonialism.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) — A detailed and insightful exploration of the early years of the British Empire, though it is more focused on trade and early expansion than the military aspects that may interest some readers of imperial history.
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September 24, 2023Read Chapter 13: The English Government, War, Trade, & Settlement, 1625-1688
November 17, 2015
Ok so I will give this book 3 stars even though I didn't finish it. I'm sure this is a great book, it was just not what I was personally looking for. In truth, I was expecting more of a narrative history, but this ended up being a collection of essays concentrating on different aspects of the the empire. This didn't really work for me since I am pretty much a complete beginner on the subject. This approach means you get really specific information on various topics but it is much more difficult to get an overall picture of what was going on. Also, I found it difficult to stay engaged because many of the authors assumed the reader would have knowledge of various events (ex: The Nine Years War). Also, this book seems more for those interested in the empire itself... what I mean by this is that the book is about all aspects of the empire, like the empire's literature, technology that made the empire possible, why the empire was created etc rather than specifically what went down and why and how subject peoples were affected which is more what I wanted. Sorry this review is crappy and maybe not even accurate since I didn't even finish but, just my first impressions.. maybe I will come back to it when I know more
February 4, 2012
Nicholas Canny in the origins of Empire organizes historians into the key categories on the foundation of the British Empire. By taking not only a macro approach and looking at how the empire developed through trade, seapower, and technology but also a micro approach. Each author walks the reader through their area of expertise and the development of how each colony came into existence is clear. This truly is a study in early world history as the reader is taken around the world from the shores of Bombay to the wilds of the early North American continent and the Indians that interacted with empire. It also assesses what one might call the development of the domestic empire by analyzing Ireland and Scotland. As no study of the time period would be complete without NAM Rodger's seapower analysis and Canny's immigration theories this book really does have it all. For those who want to understand the development of the British Empire this is the essential book to own and a must read for those who love British and Atlantic world history.
December 13, 2008
For grad course this fall.
October 4, 2020
En rigtig god kilde ifb. med et semesterfag om britisk historie på engelskstudiet.
- Brugt på universitetet (engelsk)
- Brugt på universitetet (engelsk)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews