A Fortified Sea

The Defense of the Caribbean in the Eighteenth Century
Illuminates the role of forts in the greater Caribbean during the long eighteenth century as international powers fought for ascendency.

A multidisciplinary examination of the role of military forts in the Caribbean during the age of European colonial expansion

A Fortified Sea illuminates the key role of military forts in the greater Caribbean during the long eighteenth century. The historical Caribbean, with its multiple contested boundaries at the periphery of European western expansion, typically has been analyzed as part of an empire. European powers, including Spain, the Netherlands, England, and Denmark, carved up the Caribbean Sea into a cultural patchwork. These varied cultural contexts were especially evident during regional and national conflicts throughout the eighteenth century and prompted the construction of more fortifications to protect imperial interests. The emergence of Anglo-American colonies during the eighteenth century and later the United States gradually altered previous geopolitical balances, redefining the cultural and geopolitical boundaries of the region.

This collection of essays incorporates several historiographical traditions—from Spanish to American—all portraying the borderland as a breakthrough contested cultural, social, economic, and military boundary. A multinational roster of contributors approaches topics through a war studies lens as well as architecturally and historically, enriching a usually monothematic view. As well, discussion of cultural management of the historical remains of forts shows local communities trying to preserve and interpret the role of forts in society.

Part I defines the training of military engineers in Spain. Part II engages with British defensive military plans and settlements in the Caribbean and shows how the British dealt with the rhetorical image of the empire. Part III clarifies the building processes of fortifications in Santiago de Cuba, Cartagena de Indias, Havana, and Veracruz, among other places. Copious period maps complement the prodigious research. The book will appeal to readers interested in the history of the Caribbean, military history, and European imperial expansion.

Contributor: Pedro Luengo (Edited by), Gene Allen Smith (Edited by), Mónica Cejudo Collera (Contributions by), Pedro Cruz Freire (Contributions by), María Mercedes Fernández Martín (Contributions by), Manuel Gámez Casado (Contributions by), Aaron Graham (Contributions by), Francisco Javier Herrera García (Contributions by), Nuria Hinarejos Martín (Contributions by), Ignacio J. López-Hernández (Contributions by), Pedro Luengo (Contributions by), Alfredo J. Morales (Contributions by), José Miguel Morales Folguera (Contributions by), Juan Miguel Muñoz Corbalán (Contributions by), Jesús María Ruiz Carrasco (Contributions by), Germán Segura García (Contributions by), Gene Allen Smith (Contributions by), Christopher K. Waters (Contributions by)

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