Date Awarded
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
History
Advisor
Nicholas Popper
Committee Member
Brianna Nofil
Committee Member
Fabrício Prado
Abstract
Rye, 1573. This paper argues that some of the first voyages to West Africa were the result of a series of small political revolutions occurring in small coastal English towns. I trace the life of a single sailor, John Emery, across the Atlantic from a small town run by oligarchs, to the Canary Islands, then to West Africa, later to the Spanish Main. I argue that the first voyages to West Africa were dependent on the accumulation of capital by small-town oligarchs, who leveraged their connection with various knowledgeable parties (mostly refugees) to go to West Africa. Of Deathless Atlantic Secrets. This paper focuses on a mysterious travel account, written sometime in the seventeenth century, which I argue provided the main thrust towards the creation of the first restoration African company. I argue that it was written by an Anglo-Dutch courtier named Balthazar Gerbier, and make a case for his authorship based on a number of textual clues. Later, I argue this method – the method of “clues,” discussed best by Carlo Ginzburg – could have a fruitful application in the field of Atlantic history.
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-jz0b-y418
Rights
© The Author
Recommended Citation
Green, Giacomo Francesco, "Two Essays On The History Of England And West Africa C. 1550-1670" (2024). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1727787970.
https://dx.doi.org/10.21220/s2-jz0b-y418
