The end of desire: the triumphant life and tragic end of Thomas Cavendish (1560 - 1592)
The end of desire: the triumphant life and tragic end of Thomas Cavendish (1560 - 1592)
This thesis provides the first full length biography of Thomas Cavendish Esq. (1560 – 1592), Elizabethan circumnavigator and privateer. It establishes his historical significance and focuses on the principal events of his life. It is true to period, relies on contemporary sources, and provides new perspectives on a neglected historical figure.
The thesis is followed by a critical analysis, which examines the reasons why Cavendish was overlooked by past historians, in particular in the nineteenth century, when interest in Elizabethan seafaring revived, in part to provide a creation myth for British imperialism. It also considers the mechanics of writing a biography of a sixteenth century seafarer.
University of Southampton
Gately, Iain Thomas Michael
33f23504-b0d1-4707-b2a2-4e59f4ea8494
2026
Gately, Iain Thomas Michael
33f23504-b0d1-4707-b2a2-4e59f4ea8494
Burns, Carole
ce146544-e915-4e18-86e3-7468e2fe071b
Boguszak, Jakub
e55ef27d-29ad-4390-889d-8e800db3a8af
Gately, Iain Thomas Michael
(2026)
The end of desire: the triumphant life and tragic end of Thomas Cavendish (1560 - 1592).
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis, 364pp.
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Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis provides the first full length biography of Thomas Cavendish Esq. (1560 – 1592), Elizabethan circumnavigator and privateer. It establishes his historical significance and focuses on the principal events of his life. It is true to period, relies on contemporary sources, and provides new perspectives on a neglected historical figure.
The thesis is followed by a critical analysis, which examines the reasons why Cavendish was overlooked by past historians, in particular in the nineteenth century, when interest in Elizabethan seafaring revived, in part to provide a creation myth for British imperialism. It also considers the mechanics of writing a biography of a sixteenth century seafarer.
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Published date: 2026
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 510355
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/510355
PURE UUID: 754d0c62-adaf-4f33-8488-cec8fc34390e
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Date deposited: 27 Mar 2026 17:32
Last modified: 28 Mar 2026 02:31
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