Vol. 3 · No. 2
Imagining EmpireRichard Hakluyt's The Principal Navigations (1598-1600) and the Idea of a British Empire
Matthew Day
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Abstract
In this article I want to examine Richard Hakluyt's notion of empire as it emerges from his largest work, The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation (1598-1600). I will argue that its relationship with his concept of nationhood has not received the attention it deserves, and that the submergence of the English nation into the 'Empire of Great Britain' proposed by James I, was the antithesis of Hakluyt's conception of that relationship. In short, I will argue that the usual relationship between empire and nation needs to be stood on its head if we are to understand Hakluyt's concept of empire.