The Dutch navy of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries / Jaap R. Bruijn.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 08 Jun 2018).

Part one: The "old" navy, late 1500s-1652 -- Naval operations against Spain and the Dunkirk Privateers -- The Boards of Admiralties at work -- The slow birth of a naval officer's corps -- Truly international crews -- Part two: The "new" navy, 1652-1713 -- The 'old' navy out of date -- John de Witt's new navy -- An era of naval campaigns against England and France in the Baltic -- Changes in the Naval Administration -- De Ruyter and the other naval officers -- Well-manned ships -- Part three: a second-rate navy, 1714-1795 -- Convoys and the containment of the Barbary Corsairs -- Favourities and innovation -- Little work, but more education for the Naval Officer -- Naval seaman, a poor man's job -- Aftermater -- In retrospect.

This book is a reprint of Jaap R. Bruijn's 1993 book, The Dutch Navy, which offers an English-language overview of the history of the Dutch Navy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is divided into three chronological periods: the 'old', 'new', and 'second-rate' navy. Rather than presenting a history of naval conflict, this volume approaches Dutch naval history from the following four angles: operations, administration, officer duties, and sailor duties. It consists of a series foreword, a new introduction detailing recent developments in naval historiography, the original introduction providing a history of Dutch maritime history from the middle ages to the beginning of the seventeenth century, a conclusion, and a bibliography and index. It explores the astounding amount of naval power belonging to such a sparsely populated nation, plus the rapid rates of success and decline. It confirms that the Dutch navy - with its logic, innovation, and missteps alike - provides an excellent case study of both the development of European bureaucracy and armed forces in the Early Modern period.