Keep Calm and Carry On: Tudor Traders and the Spanish Armada

There is a commonly held view that Tudor England was increasingly isolated from Europe as a result of the Reformation and conflict with continental powers. The kingdom is often said to have ‘gone global’ as a consequence, paving the way for the British Empire. Yet, despite the activities of the likes of Francis Drake and his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580, in reality, England remained largely wedded to the continent. The so-called ‘Narrow Seas’, which divided the two were often not a barrier but rather a perennial conveyer of goods, people and ideas.

The maritime communities where these seas grew narrowest are the focus of the sister project to English Merchant Shipping, Trade, and Maritime Communities (c.1588-c.1765), the Janus Foundation-funded project: Kent’s Maritime Communities and their European Neighbours, c.1450-c.1650. This research is likewise being undertaken at the University of Southampton by myself (Dr Robert Blackmore) and Professor Craig Lambert, in collaboration with Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh of Canterbury Christ Church University. By systemically analysing Kent’s surviving port books: the records of shipping and cargoes ‒ as well as their associated mariners and merchants ‒ we aim to understand the character of Early Modern England’s links with Europe.

In a recent article in BBC History Magazine, we demonstrated the adaptability and resilience of Kent’s maritime communities through the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), especially during that most famous event in England’s national story: the 1588 Spanish Armada. This, according to its information panel at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, ‘has gone down in history as a moment of English triumph and resilience’. It may have been so, but perhaps not for the reasons you might believe. Even as the threat of invasion grew, many mariners and merchants continued – by licit or illicit means – to preserve deep commercial connections with their European counterparts.

Please follow the below link to read the online version of this article, first published in the September 2023 issue of BBC History Magazine:

https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/spanish-armada-1588-english-ports-traders-merchants