World of the Medieval Shipmaster
Subtitle: Law, Business and the Sea, C. 1350-C. 1450
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer, Incorporated
Published: 2009
Language: eng
Number of pages: 270
ISBN-13: 9781843834557
Subjects: Ship captains; Merchant marine, great britain; Merchant marine, history; Maritime law, great britain
Description: "Despite a background of war, piracy, depopulation, bullion shortages, adverse political decisions, legal uncertainties and deteriorating weather conditions, between the mid-fourteenth and the mid-fifteenth centuries the English merchant shipping industry thrived. New markets were developed, voyages became longer, ships and cargoes increased in size and value, and an interest in ship ownership as an investment spread throughout the community. Using a rich range of examples drawn from court and parliamentary records, contemporary literature and the codifications of maritime law, this book illuminates the evolving management and commercial practices which developed to regulate the relationships between shipowners, shipmasters, crews and shipping merchants. It also brings to life ship performance, navigation, seamanship, and the frequently harsh conditions on board."--Book jacket.