George, Third Earl of Cumberland (1558-1605)
His Life And His Voyages
A Study From Original Documents
By Dr. G.C. Williamson
Published by The University Press: Cambridge 1920 1st Edition
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George, Third Earl of Cumberland (1558-1605): His Life and His Voyages by Dr. G. C. Williamson is a scholarly and authoritative biography of one of Elizabethan England's most colourful noblemen and seafaring adventurers. Drawing closely on original documents, letters, and contemporary sources, Williamson reconstructs the life of George Clifford, Third Earl of Cumberland, a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, a naval commander, and a privateering entrepreneur whose voyages took him across the Atlantic during the age of Anglo-Spanish rivalry. The work explores Cumberland's dual identity as both a court favourite—celebrated for his chivalric pageantry and loyalty to the Crown—and a hardened maritime figure engaged in expeditions against Spanish shipping and colonial possessions.
Published in 1920 by Cambridge University Press, this first edition reflects early twentieth-century historical scholarship at its most meticulous, combining naval history, biography, and Elizabethan political culture. Williamson situates Cumberland's voyages within the broader context of England's emerging naval power, overseas ambition, and the personal risks undertaken by aristocratic adventurers in pursuit of profit, prestige, and national service. The inclusion of a frontispiece portrait and the book's reliance on primary sources lend it lasting value as both a reference work and a narrative study, making it particularly appealing to collectors of early modern history, Elizabethan naval warfare, and the formative period of English maritime expansion."
Light wear and fading to covers & spine as shown. Binding is excellent with no loose pages. Pages are clean and well presented. Lovely bookplate present. A nice copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
