The 'Old' Navy, Late 1500s-1652

This section explores the Dutch Republic’s navy in the late 1500s through to 1652, which Bruijn classifies as the ‘Old’ navy period. It is divided into four sections: naval operations against Spain and the Dunkirk Privateers; the boards of the Admiralties at work; the development of a naval officers’ corps; and the international demographics of naval crews and the labour conditions they worked under. It concludes in 1652, asserting that the standard system of operations was on the cusp of becoming obsolete when face to face with developments in shipping technology and structures.