y and in mind, Henry mounted the throne in 1509
with the hearty good will of nearly all his subjects. Before England
could become the mother country of an empire overseas, she had to shake
off her medieval weaknesses, become a strongly unified modern state, and
arm herself against any probable combination of hostile foreign states.
Happily for herself and for her future colonists, Henry was richly
endowed with strength and skill for his task. With one hand he welded
England into political unity, crushing disruptive forces by the way.
With the other he gradually built up a fleet the like of which the world
had never seen. He had the advantage of being more independent of
parliamentary supplies than any other sovereign. From his thrifty father
he had inherited what was then an almost fabulous sum--nine million
dollars in cash. From what his friends call the conversion, and his
enemies the spoliation, of Church property in England he obtained many
millions more. Moreover, the people as a whole always rallied to his
call whenever he wanted other national resources for the national
defence.

Henry's unique distinction is that he effected the momentous change from
an ancient to a modern fleet. This supreme achievement constitutes his
real title to the lasting gratitude of English-speaking peoples. His
first care when he came to the throne in 1509 was for the safety of the
'Broade Ditch,' as he called the English Channel. His last great act was
to establish in 1546 'The Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs.'
During the thirty-seven years between his accession and the creation of
this Navy Board the pregnant change was made.

'King Henry loved a man.' He had an unerring eye for choosing the right
leaders. He delighted in everything to do with ships and shipping. He
mixed freely with naval men and merchant skippers, visited the
dockyards, promoted several improved types of vessels, and always
befriended Fletcher of Rye, the shipwright who discovered the art of
tacking and thereby revolutionized navigation. Nor was the King only a
patron. He invented a new type of vessel himself and thoroughly mastered
scientific gunnery. He was the first of national leaders to grasp the
full significance of what could be done by broadsides fired from sailing
ships against the mediaeval type of vessel that still depended more on
oars than on sails.

Henry's maritime rivals were the two greatest monarchs of continental
Europe, Francis I o