「16世紀イングランドの船乗りと海事共同体 （maritime community）」

In the mid-sixteenth century, seamen and seafaring traders left London to trade with equatorial West Africa. It was the dawn of the deep-sea English merchant marine. In this article, I will examine the maritime community in Elizabeth’s reign from the seamen’s viewpoint.
The development of deep-sea voyages and trades to West Africa, North America and East India had much greater social and cultural influences on the maritime communities than before. Because of seamen’s web of interdependence, a shared sub-culture, kinship, friendship, business connections and a system of debt, those associated with the maritime crafts formed a community within the larger society.
But the Protestant maritime community was forced to deal with many external challenges in the lengthy war with Spain, the last two decades of Elizabeth’s reign. They threatened to stifle seamen’s traditional rights, custom and practices. But in spite of these severe trials, it had a boisterous esprit de corps.