Before the future of North American rule was decided by the battle between British and French forces on the Plains of Abraham, Britain's emerging imperial interests were represented by ambitious merchants and privateers. A Fleeting Empire examines the lives and exploits of early European adventurers in North America, revealing the murky mix of self-interest, patriotism, and adventure that motivated them.

The union of the English and Scottish crowns in 1603 gave rise to a new British seafaring community, which the early Stuart monarchy used to pursue some of the first commercial and colonial ventures in North America. Among those who sailed across the Atlantic were the Kirke brothers, who in 1629 forced Samuel de Champlain's surrender of Quebec, Sir William Alexander of Menstrie, a rising political figure and patentee of Nova Scotia, and James Stewart of Killeith, leader of a colony on Cape Breton Island. King Charles I was more concerned with brokering a peace with France than looking to the new world, so the gains of the merchant adventurers were short-lived, but their adventures provide a tantalizing glimpse of a moment of British colonial control, suggesting what might have been.

Andrew Nicholls showcases the enterprises of knights and privateers alike, providing a fascinating account of early European colonies, commerce, and military force in North America. A Fleeting Empire forces us to see the early histories of Canada and the United States in a new light.

Andrew D. Nicholls is a professor in the Department of History and Social Studies Education at Buffalo State College.

Andrew Nicholls' profile page

"Written in a clear, direct style, A Fleeting Empire is an impressive achievement. It will enlighten anyone interested in the history of the Atlantic world in the early 17th century." The Chronicle Herald
"Nicholls succeeds in providing students and scholars alike with a carefully researched and well-told investigation into the spectacular yet short-lived efforts and achievements of the Merchant Adventurers to Canada during the Early Stuart period." Michael F. Dove, University of Western Ontario
"This excellent book illuminates a neglected period of both British and Canadian history." Matthew Dziennik, University of Edinburgh