The British Navy In The Baltic, by John D. Grainger

From time to time I am able to review somewhat non-traditional works from the De Re Militari [1], and this book is definitely unusual from the perspective of Medieval warfare. At first, one might think of the British navy’s involvement in the Baltic Sea and think of more contemporary history, whether one looks at Nelson in Copenhagen or Saumarez during the later part of the Napoleonic war or the attempt of the British to aid the enemies of the Soviets during the Russian Civil War, all of which are worthy to be remembered and studied by those of us who are students of naval history, but which are not necessarily obviously of interest in the study of Medieval military history. However, the involvement of the English in the time before Great Britain was established in 1707 in the area of the Baltic Sea does go back to genuinely medieval times with the Norse kings and contenders for the kingship of England before William the Conqueror as well as through English relations with the indisputably Baltic naval power the Hanseatic League, which used London as one of their frontier trading posts, something which ought not to surprise a student of naval history but is likely to not be an area of common knowledge.

Although from time to time I have read about the history of the Baltic region, it has usually been a side area of the books I have read, whether my studies have involved the Danish crusades in what are now the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, or whether I have read about the struggles of Sweden to overcome Danish control over the sound during the 17th century as part of the backdrop of the wars of Gustavus Adolphus, more famous for his victories over the Catholics in the Thirty Year’s War. In the history of the Baltic Sea, England is definitely a peripheral player, as the most important navies in that area were the Danes, the Swedes, and later the Russians. Yet the interests of England, and later Great Britain, as a naval power required a great deal of interest in this area, and I look forward to reading the book both as a coherent whole, which promises to be of great interest, as well as looking to comment on the aspects of this book that specifically relate to Medieval military history. As is often the case with my reading, and writing, I tend to have several layers of material that I wish to reflect on or convey reflections on, and I was glad when this book showed up on my doorstep today after returning home from work and various errands.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/non-book-review-arthurian-animation/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/non-book-review-jasper-tudor-dynasty-maker/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/non-book-review-mercenaries-and-their-masters/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/non-book-review-the-wars-of-the-roses-the-conflict-that-inspired-game-of-thrones/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/non-book-review-the-medieval-way-of-war/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/non-book-review-charlemagnes-early-campaigns-768-777/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/non-book-review-jerusalem-in-the-north/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/non-book-review-monarchs-of-the-renaissance/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/scholarly-book-reviews/