Dan Snow brings together, as other contributors have said, in a very engrossing way, the different facets which were most important and uppermost in the minds of the British governments of the day and of lasting significance to the British till this day and beyond. Principally commercial advantage and security allied with new scientific and technical developments, all very energetically and capably pursued, none sacrificed for the other. Common sense suggests that to become the leading commercial and naval leading power, it could hardly be otherwise, it was not by accident and not without fierce competition. However historians generally tend to fragment the story into partitions, losing the sense of coherence and purpose which undoubtedly drove it. Dan Snow, by approaching the subject on its own terms, is able to convey the exhilarating ambition, purpose and achievement. It is a remarkable story, for once very well told.
6 Reviews
Our debt to the Royal Navy
wearesqueakyclean10 February 2010
Once again the BBC comes up trumps with this compelling story of how the Royal Navy made Britain great and in doing so forged the modern world. I had no idea that we owed some much to this much loved institution, and woe betide any modern politician who does not heed its central message.
I was always brought up to believe that we were an island nation with a rich maritime heritage, but I didn't quite understand just how much we depended (and still do) on the sea. The thing is that with global trends of population growth, competition for resources and increasing energy scarcity, it is obvious that we will need our Navy more than ever before. I hope that our policy makers are watching this excellent series.
More like this please, BBC and more about the Navy - I suspect you have only just scratched the surface.
I was always brought up to believe that we were an island nation with a rich maritime heritage, but I didn't quite understand just how much we depended (and still do) on the sea. The thing is that with global trends of population growth, competition for resources and increasing energy scarcity, it is obvious that we will need our Navy more than ever before. I hope that our policy makers are watching this excellent series.
More like this please, BBC and more about the Navy - I suspect you have only just scratched the surface.
A maritime feast on the box: how the Royal Navy forged the modern world
lestermay3 February 2010
The BBC is to be congratulated on the production of this outstanding four-part television series, transmitted on BBC2 in late January and early February 2010.
So interwoven with, and so central to, the history of the of the United Kingdom and British Empire is the Royal Navy - the English Navy, later the British Navy - that this series is a history of Britain and Empire and wider still.
This series has certainly succeeded in its aim of showing how the Royal Navy forged the modern world. This is no idle claim from a silly old, but proud, matelot but a fact that, even today, the islands that comprise the United Kingdom, and her 14 overseas territories, forget at their peril.
The story starts just before the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and ends with the Armistice at the end of the Great War in 1918. We see how the English Civil War actually benefited the Navy yet it was the Royal Navy that helped secure the restoration of the monarchy.
Beautifully shot and skilfully captained by presenter Dan Snow, a former Sea Cadet himself, we see how it was the Royal Navy that set the standard for the British civil service (and one that was copied in many countries), caused the founding of the Bank of England and the establishment of income tax. It was because of concern about a weak Royal Navy that the British Crown lost its powers to Parliament. It was the Royal Navy, and HM Dockyards, that became the greatest industrial organisation of its time, having an impact on farming (to feed the sailors) and on industry to provide materials in large scale to build and maintain the fleet - and to improve the design, such as with copper-bottomed sailing vessels.
As a result British ships and British naval officers and naval ratings (sailors) became the world standard and the envy of other powers. The ships were many and their stations were the seven seas, protecting British trade - and all nations' trade on many an occasion - against piracy and bad men and it was a bulwark against any enemy with eyes on the British Isles.
The French failure to defeat the Royal Navy was a cause of the French Revolution. The final defeat of France at sea, by Nelson in 1805, made possible their final defeat at Waterloo by Wellington and that was followed by a century of "Pax Britannica", when the Royal Navy policed the seas and underpinned the British Empire. The Royal Navy played a leading and honourable part in the abolition of slavery in the first half of the nineteenth century.
We see, in the final episode, how the Royal Navy was at the forefront of technical innovation, with the shift from sail to steam, with the now preserved ironclad HMS Warrior (1860) changing for ever the way of naval warfare. The introduction of submarines in 1901 - "a damned un-English weapon" - and the introduction of naval aviation in 1909 were achieved in the face of opposition from the old guard. The new Dreadnought class of battleships, in 1906, made every other battleship in the world obsolete. After a century of relative peace, the Royal Navy was just about ready for war in 1914 and played a significant part in the defeat of the Kaiser's forces.
This is a story of 340 years of a force that grew into the largest Navy in the world. The Royal Navy has not lost a significant battle for over 300 years and it set the standard for many of the world's navies today, as witnessed still in their uniforms, routines, ships and manners. The English language is peppered with words and phrases that began at sea with the Royal Navy or were used by landlubbers so proud of this truly great armed service.
This is television documentary at its very best and the series will soon, hopefully, be released on DVD to a worldwide audience. For the Royal Navy is not just part of the story of the United Kingdom or the British Empire, it is an important part of the world's story in this past half millennium.
So interwoven with, and so central to, the history of the of the United Kingdom and British Empire is the Royal Navy - the English Navy, later the British Navy - that this series is a history of Britain and Empire and wider still.
This series has certainly succeeded in its aim of showing how the Royal Navy forged the modern world. This is no idle claim from a silly old, but proud, matelot but a fact that, even today, the islands that comprise the United Kingdom, and her 14 overseas territories, forget at their peril.
The story starts just before the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and ends with the Armistice at the end of the Great War in 1918. We see how the English Civil War actually benefited the Navy yet it was the Royal Navy that helped secure the restoration of the monarchy.
Beautifully shot and skilfully captained by presenter Dan Snow, a former Sea Cadet himself, we see how it was the Royal Navy that set the standard for the British civil service (and one that was copied in many countries), caused the founding of the Bank of England and the establishment of income tax. It was because of concern about a weak Royal Navy that the British Crown lost its powers to Parliament. It was the Royal Navy, and HM Dockyards, that became the greatest industrial organisation of its time, having an impact on farming (to feed the sailors) and on industry to provide materials in large scale to build and maintain the fleet - and to improve the design, such as with copper-bottomed sailing vessels.
As a result British ships and British naval officers and naval ratings (sailors) became the world standard and the envy of other powers. The ships were many and their stations were the seven seas, protecting British trade - and all nations' trade on many an occasion - against piracy and bad men and it was a bulwark against any enemy with eyes on the British Isles.
The French failure to defeat the Royal Navy was a cause of the French Revolution. The final defeat of France at sea, by Nelson in 1805, made possible their final defeat at Waterloo by Wellington and that was followed by a century of "Pax Britannica", when the Royal Navy policed the seas and underpinned the British Empire. The Royal Navy played a leading and honourable part in the abolition of slavery in the first half of the nineteenth century.
We see, in the final episode, how the Royal Navy was at the forefront of technical innovation, with the shift from sail to steam, with the now preserved ironclad HMS Warrior (1860) changing for ever the way of naval warfare. The introduction of submarines in 1901 - "a damned un-English weapon" - and the introduction of naval aviation in 1909 were achieved in the face of opposition from the old guard. The new Dreadnought class of battleships, in 1906, made every other battleship in the world obsolete. After a century of relative peace, the Royal Navy was just about ready for war in 1914 and played a significant part in the defeat of the Kaiser's forces.
This is a story of 340 years of a force that grew into the largest Navy in the world. The Royal Navy has not lost a significant battle for over 300 years and it set the standard for many of the world's navies today, as witnessed still in their uniforms, routines, ships and manners. The English language is peppered with words and phrases that began at sea with the Royal Navy or were used by landlubbers so proud of this truly great armed service.
This is television documentary at its very best and the series will soon, hopefully, be released on DVD to a worldwide audience. For the Royal Navy is not just part of the story of the United Kingdom or the British Empire, it is an important part of the world's story in this past half millennium.
Excellent BBC Programme
bfpinner7 March 2010
I must admit it, but I didn't expect to be as enthralled as I was with Dan Snow's outstanding 'Empire of the Seas'. It may be a bit early in the year, but this just might be my programme of the year. My only criticism, if indeed it is one, is that it was only 4 parts, when it could easily have been 6 or more, Please, please BBC, commission a second series from this excellent presenter/historian and let us know what happens next. At the very least, it should include the Battle of the Atlantic, which Churchill described as the only thing that really kept him awake at night (rather than the misnamed Battle of Britain) and also the Falklands, where the Islands would still be Argentinian were it not for the Royal Navy, its Carrier borne Air Power and its Royal Marines.
Thank you BBC and Dan Snow for a real gem.
Thank you BBC and Dan Snow for a real gem.
Outstanding Programme - please repeat or make into DVDs
nt635516 March 2010
I have been away for the last 8 weeks and watched Empire of the Seas from my hard disk drive. Originally I was going to watch one episode a day, but it was so engrossing, I ended up watching all 4 episodes in one sitting. What a feast. If this is the sort of programme that the BBC is willing to do more of than I, for one, would be happy to increase the Licence Fee.
The other thing is that I don't know too much about the Royal Navy and I now realise that we, the British, owe just about everything to the Navy, not just historically but now. Thinking about it, that makes sense, seeing as we are an Island nation, it stands to reason that it is the Navy that protects us and not an army.
Bravo the Royal Navy and Bravo the BBC - more like this please.
The other thing is that I don't know too much about the Royal Navy and I now realise that we, the British, owe just about everything to the Navy, not just historically but now. Thinking about it, that makes sense, seeing as we are an Island nation, it stands to reason that it is the Navy that protects us and not an army.
Bravo the Royal Navy and Bravo the BBC - more like this please.
Appalling drivel
pottypat-406-98890923 September 2019
How not to make a documentary on 500 years of Naval History in three episodes. I sat through the first one as it skipped briefly through 200 years or so. The loud incessant music thundering around as Snow delivered his lines while scrubbing decks, riding in boats, climbing rigging. The only naval type scenes missing unfortunately, were him being keel hauled, flogged or dying from scurvy. Started to watch second episode as my wench liked them and the sight of him blathering away rowing a bloody boat was enough. Awful rubbish. Whoever commissioned, wrote, scripted and directed this should be drowned
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