Rulers of the Indian Ocean

Admiral of the British fleet J.A. Ballard in his research presents an impressive drama of competition among Europeans for dominance in the Indian Ocean, where the most valuable prize was India. Of the four European powers - Portugal, Holland, France, and England - it was the English who ultimately became the rulers of the Indian Ocean, and thus, to some extent, of all South Asian countries. Based on authentic documents, the author sequentially describes how contacts between Europe and Asia were established and developed from the time of the first maritime trade and military expeditions in the Indian Ocean until the early 19th century, and at what cost the English maintained their dominance here for two centuries.