Based on recent scholarship in naval, maritime, and political history, this major study re-examines the development of European naval forces. The unprecedented expansion of oceanic shipping and trade in the 18th century was accompanied by the refinement of ships and naval tactics, changing the face of war at sea. Thematic and chronologically ordered chapters look at the role of battleships, seapower as an expression of global force and the effect of the age of seapower on the diplomatic and economic considerations of western European states.