Navigation Acts

The navigation acts ( linguistically incorrect, but common translation of Engl. Acts Navigation = Navigation laws or maritime law ) were a series of laws decisions of the English Parliament for the regulation of shipping and maritime trade, the first of which came from the October 9, 1651. The first of these laws was written under the direction of Oliver Cromwell and entered into force on December 1, 1651.

Content

The navigation acts reserved the entire import of non-European goods to England and the entire coastal trade and fishing in English waters of the British flag and allowed the importation of European goods only on English ships and those of the country of origin. These provisions were directed immediately to eliminate the lucrative trade between the Netherlands with England and the English colonies and to set the active commerce of England in his place.

Consciousness took Cromwell so that the military conflict with the Netherlands in purchasing. The provisions were a major blow against the Dutch trade and led directly to the first Dutch- English naval war ( 1652-1654 ). In the Treaty of Westminster in 1654 the Netherlands finally the Navigation Act had to acknowledge. Thus the Dutch supremacy was the first time really threatened in world trade, and England could expand its position as an independent economic power in the subsequent period.

For two centuries determined the navigation acts, often supplemented and mitigated in part, the British trade policy. It was not until 1854 they were finally canceled. They were of considerable importance for England's rise to the first maritime and commercial power. The German historian Leopold von Ranke writes in his English history " [ ... ] that they of all Acts of Parliament that is what has brought about the most extensive consequences for England and the world. " They called these laws the magna carta maritima in Britain.

Excerpt from the first Navigation Act of October 9, 1651

" In order to promote the growth of sea power and to encourage the shipping of this nation, which is such a great means of the welfare and safety of this community under the good care and protection of God, is available through this Parliament that from 1 December 1651 goods or merchandise of whatever kind that come from Asia, Africa or America, are to be introduced by both the English as from other colonies in the English Republic, on any other ships, as only one really the people of this republic and of which the captain and associated sailors for the most part are English, under the penalty of loss of all goods to be imported contrary to this law, as well as the ship [ ... ] "

"And it is further enacted that no goods coming from Europe, introduced after December 1, 1651 to England on any ship unless really english, other than those alien ships that belong to the people of the country from which the goods originate, and under the same penalty [ ... ] "