Sir Julian Stafford Corbett (12 November 1854 at Walcot House, Kennington Road, Lambeth – 21 September 1922 at Manor Farm,

Stopham Stopham is a hamlet (place), hamlet and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Chichester (district), District of Chichester in West Sussex, England, about west of Pulborough on the A283 road. It is in the civil parish of Fittleworth. ...

Pulborough Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north–sout ...

, Sussex) was a prominent

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

naval historian Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

and geostrategist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose works helped shape the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

's reforms of that era. One of his most famous works is ''Some Principles of Maritime Strategy'', which remains a classic among students of naval warfare. Corbett was a good friend and ally of naval reformer Admiral John "Jacky" Fisher, the

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

. He was chosen to write the official history of British Naval operations during World War I.

Early life and education

The son of a London architect and property developer, Charles Joseph Corbett, who owned among other properties Imber Court at Weston Green, Thames Ditton, where he made the family home, Julian Corbett was educated at Marlborough College (1869–73) and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

(1873–76), where he took a first class honours degree in law. Corbett became a barrister at Middle Temple in 1877 and practised until 1882 when he turned to writing as a career. Fascinated by the

Elizabethan period The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

, he first wrote historical novels on this period. He became a correspondent for the

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

, and reported on the

Dongola Expedition The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided O ...

in 1896. Corbett came to naval history in mid-life and from a civilian background. He was a man of independent means who traveled extensively. Julian Corbett had three brothers, Herbert E. (1876–??), Edward M. (1899–??) and Frank E. (1881–??). In 1899 he Married Edith Alexander, daughter of George Alexander. They had one son and one daughter.

Career as a naval historian

In 1896 Corbett accepted John Knox Laughton's request to edit a volume of documents on the Spanish war, 1585–87 which served as the start of his career as a naval historian. He soon became known as one of the

's leading intellectuals, and from 1901 to 1922 was writing regularly on naval history and strategy. In 1902 he began lecturing at the Royal Naval College, founded in 1900. In 1903 he gave the

Ford Lectures The Ford Lectures, technically the James Ford Lectures in British History, are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history. They are usually devoted to a particular historical ...

in English History at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. In 1905 he became the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

's chief unofficial strategic adviser and served as secretary of the Cabinet Historical Office. Appointed a knight in 1917, he was awarded the

Chesney Gold Medal The Chesney Gold Medal is an award given by the Royal United Services Institute awarded to "any especially eminent work calculated to advance the military sciences and knowledge". List of Medallists The following people have received the Chesney ...

in 1914.

Work

Like his American contemporary, Rear Admiral

Alfred Thayer Mahan Alfred Thayer Mahan (; September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His book '' The Influence of Sea Powe ...

of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

, Corbett saw naval warfare as part of a nation's larger policies. In this respect, Prussian military thinker

Carl von Clausewitz Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz (; 1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the "moral", in modern terms meaning psychological, and political aspects of waging war. His mo ...

was an important influence on his work. Another major influence was John Knox Laughton, arguably the first naval historian, and of whom Corbett has been described as his 'protégé'.Adamiak, Stanley J. "The Foundations of Naval History: John Knox Laughton, the Royal Navy and the Historical Profession", Review of book by Professor

Andrew Lambert Andrew Lambert (born 31 December 1956) is a British naval historian, who since 2001 has been the Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies, King's College London. Academic career After completing his doctoral resear ...

, ''

Journal of Military History ''The Journal of Military History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the military history of all times and places. It is the official journal of the Society for Military History. The journal was established in 1937 and the ed ...

'' Vol. 64, No. 4 (October 2000) pp. 1169–70 Corbett differed from Mahan, however, in placing less emphasis on fleet

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. This stance angered many officers in the Royal Navy, who believed such a view lacked the heroic aspect of

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

's strategy in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Corbett's primary objective was to fill the void in British naval doctrine by formalizing the theories and principles of naval warfare. The strategies of naval warfare by Corbett focused on the art of naval warfare and defined the differences between land warfare and naval warfare. He set the initial focus towards the employment of manoeuvre type doctrine. Corbett's principles of sea control, focus on the enemy, and manoeuvre for tactical advantage form the foundation of today's naval manoeuvre warfare. Corbett was working from within the naval community and trying to influence the naval establishment. He believed in studying and developing the theory of war for educational purposes, which he felt established a "common vehicle of expression and a common plane of thought ... for the sake of mental solidarity between a chief and his subordinates". Through his lectures at the Naval War College, Corbett was trying to convey to the attending flag officers his ideas of limited war and strategic defence which were very different from the accepted norms of naval theory and strategy of the time. Through his publication of ''Some Principles of Maritime Strategy'' (1911), Corbett was trying to expand the audience for his strategies and teachings to include the general public.

Historical context of Corbett's work

At the turn of the century Corbett emerged as one of the first authors in the development of modern naval doctrine. Drawing from the influences of Baron de Jomini and

, he was instrumental in attempting to apply the existing theories of land warfare for war at sea. Clausewitz's ''On War'' was an invaluable basis and stimulus for Corbett's theoretical work, however, it was not his blueprint. For example, Corbett did not hesitate to take issue with Clausewitz, Jomini, or other continental strategists on the importance of the search for the decisive battle and the principle of concentration. The fact that Corbett believed these factors to be far less relevant at sea was a daring departure from the accepted wisdom of his time. In developing his theory of limited war, Corbett again used ''On War'' as his point of departure but ended up with his own, unique method of waging a limited war in a maritime environment.

Corbett's views about war

Corbett offered no general theory of warfare at sea. Instead, he focused his thoughts on the nature of maritime strategy and what naval warfare meant to the power of a nation. While many theorists of naval warfare tried to mechanically adapt land warfare concepts to the maritime environment, Corbett countered that the interests and requirements of naval warfare differed in fundamental ways from those of land warfare. Corbett felt that protecting lines of communication was much more difficult to enforce at sea than on land. This difficulty was the physical geographical differences of the sea and land. Because of these physical differences, Corbett analysed naval warfare in its own terms, having its own unique characteristics. Corbett stated that you cannot conquer the sea because it is not susceptible to ownership. This led to Corbett's most important contribution to the early theories of naval warfare. What mattered most was not Mahan's concept of physical destruction of the enemy, but the act of passage on the sea. To Corbett,

command of the sea Command of the sea (also called control of the sea or sea control) is a naval military concept regarding the strength of a particular navy to a specific naval area it controls. A navy has command of the sea when it is so strong that its rivals ...

was a relative and not an absolute which could be categorised as general or local, temporary or permanent. Corbett defined the two fundamental methods of obtaining control of the lines of communication as the actual physical destruction or capture of enemy

warships A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster an ...

and merchants, and or a naval

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

. Today, this concept is defined as sea control. Corbett was not infatuated with the search for the decisive battle or with the need for the strategic offensive. In general, he favoured the strategic defensive, with an emphasis on the offensive at the operational level. Corbett's strategic defence advocated such measures as an intense local offensive, the projection of land forces, various types of

s, and raids on enemy trade routes. Moreover, Corbett recognised that once the enemy has been sufficiently weakened on sea and on land, the shift to the strategic offensive should not be delayed. Corbett did not believe that the concentration of naval forces at sea was the highest and simplest law of strategy. On the contrary, he observed that the principle of concentration had become "a kind of

shibboleth A shibboleth (; hbo, , šībbōleṯ) is any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwo ...

" that had done more harm than good. The principle of concentration is "a

truism A truism is a claim that is so obvious or self-evident as to be hardly worth mentioning, except as a reminder or as a rhetorical or literary device, and is the opposite of falsism. In philosophy, a sentence which asserts incomplete truth conditio ...

—no one would dispute it. As a canon of practical strategy, it is untrue". Corbett felt that superior concentration thus not only deterred the weaker opponent from seeking battle but presented him with an opportunity to attack his enemy's exposed national lines of communication. Corbett felt that superior concentration of naval forces created yet another serious problem. The greater the concentration of a

fleet Fleet may refer to: Vehicles *Fishing fleet *Naval fleet *Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles *Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada * Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England * The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...

, the more difficult it was to conceal its whereabouts and movements. In the process of adapting

Clausewitz Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz (; 1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the "moral", in modern terms meaning psychological, and political aspects of waging war. His mos ...

's theory to the unique circumstances of naval warfare, Corbett developed his own innovative theory of limited war in maritime strategy. The first of his two main points was that in wartime conditions on the continent, as opposed to those in the maritime and imperial environment, wars were fought mostly between adjacent states. Corbett's second point was that in wars between contiguous continental states "there will be no strategical obstacle to his he enemy'sbeing able to use his whole force". In other words, the nature of continental war makes it difficult to limit political aims, because one or both states are able to use all of the means at their disposal to protect the inevitably threatened vital interests. As Corbett demonstrated, this means that the conditions for the ideal limited war exist only in maritime warfare and can only be exploited by the preponderant naval power: " … limited war is only permanently possible to island Powers or between Powers which are separated by sea, and then only when the Power desiring limited war is able to command the sea to such a degree as to be able not only to isolate the distant object, but also to render impossible the invasion of his home territory." Like Clausewitz, Corbett shared a belief in the primacy of politics in war and in devising an appropriate strategy to protect the national interests. However, Corbett was interested in the diplomatic alliance systems and coalitions formed before and during a war, and he was concerned with the economic and financial dimensions of waging war as well as with the technological and material aspects of war, which were of no interest to Clausewitz.

Works of enduring value

Corbett's value for today's military professional lies in four of his concepts: # controlling lines of communications, focus on the enemy, and manoeuvre for tactical advantage; # the aspects of political, economic and financial dimensions of waging war as well as with the technological and material aspects of war; # the primacy of politics in war and in devising an appropriate strategy to protect the national interests and # the emphasis on efficiency in battle while preserving costly assets. However, his concept of limited war on isolated countries or nation states most likely would be very difficult to achieve with today's political and economic intricacies between nations in conjunction with current technologies on a symmetric battlefield. However, they could still be applied on an asymmetric battlefield with success.

Writing about Corbett

Beyond the University of London's annual award of the Julian Corbett Prize in Naval History, the importance of Corbett's contribution to British naval history was largely overlooked until Professor D. M. Schurman published his pioneering work on ''The Education of a Navy: the development of British Naval Strategic Thought, 1867–1914'' (1965). In 1981, Schurman went on to write a full-length biography of Corbett. Further work on Corbett appeared with

John Hattendorf John Brewster Hattendorf, D.Phil., D.Litt., L.H.D., FRHistS, FSNR, (born December 22, 1941) is an American naval historian. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of more than fifty books, mainly on British and American maritime hi ...

's essay "Sir Julian Corbett on the Significance of Naval History" (1971, reprinted 2000) and Goldrick and Hattendorf's Conference Proceedings, ''Mahan is Not Enough'' (1993), followed by the revised biography on Corbett in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004). These works were complemented by

Eric J. Grove Eric Grove (1948 - 15 April 2021) was a British naval history, naval historian and defence analyst. Biography Grove was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1948. He took an Master of Arts, MA in War Studies at King's College London in 1971 and was ap ...

's definitive, annotated edition of Corbett's ''Some Principles of Maritime Strategy'' (Classics of Sea Power series, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1988), which included Corbett's previously unpublished 'Green Pamphlet' on strategical terms. In addition, D. M. Schurman and John Hattendorf edited and wrote an introduction to Corbett's previously unpublished official study ''Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905'' (U.S. Naval Institute, 1994).

Published works

Novels: * ''The Fall of Asgard'', 1886 * ''For God and Gold'' (London: Macmillan, 1887
read online
* ''Kophetua the Thirteenth'' (London: Macmillan, 1889
read online
* ''A Business in Great Waters'' (London: Methuen, 1895
read online
Historical: * ''Monk'' (London: Macmillan, 1889) English Men of Action serie
read online
* ''Francis Drake'' (London: Macmillan, 1890) English Men of Action serie
read online
* ''Papers Relating to the Navy During the Spanish War, 1585–1587'' (

Navy Records Society The Navy Records Society was established in 1893 as a scholarly text publication society to publish historical documents relating to the history of the Royal Navy. Professor Sir John Knox Laughton and Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge were the key lea ...

, 1898
read online
* ''Drake and the Tudor Navy, With a History of the Rise of England as a Naval Power'' (London:

Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

s, Green and Company, 1898
read online
* ''The Successors of Drake'' (London:

s, Green and Company, 1900
read online
* ''England in the Mediterranean: A Study of the Rise and Influence of British Power within the Straits, 1603–1713'' (London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1904)read online
* ''Fighting Instructions: 1530–1816'' (London:

Vol. XXIX, 1905
read online
* ''England in the Seven Years' War'' (London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1907
read online
* ''Some Neglected Aspects of War / by Captain A. T. Mahan...together with The power that makes for peace, by Henry S. Pritchett...and The capture of private property at sea, by Julian S. Corbett (Boston:

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

, 1907
read online
* ''Signals and Instructions: 1776–1794'', (London:

, Vol. XXV, 1909
read online
* ''The Campaign of Trafalgar'' (London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1910
read online
* ''Some Principles of Maritime Strategy'' (London:

s, Green and Company, 1911
read online
* 'Private Papers of George, Second Earl Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralty, 1794–1801'' (2 vols.) (London:

, 1914
review
* ''The Spectre of Navalism'' (London: Darling & Son, 1915
read online
* ''The League of Peace and a Free Sea'' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1917
read online
* '' The League of Nations and Freedom of the Seas'' (London:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1918) * ''History of the Great War Naval Operations, Based on Official Documents'' (London:

s, Green and Company), vol. 1 April 1920, vol. 2 November 1921, but Corbett died before agreeing final corrections to vol. 3, which was published in 1923. For vol. 1 and vol. 3 there is an accompanying maps volume
read vol. 1 onlinevol. 2 online
* ''Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904–05'' (2 vols.) (Originally classified secret, first published for public release in 1994.)

Bibliography

* (reissued by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

, 2009; ). * Michael I. Handel
"Corbett, Clausewitz, and Sun Tzu."
''

Naval War College Review The ''Naval War College Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the United States Navy's Naval War College. It covers public policy matters of interest to the maritime services and was established in 1948. History Dur ...

'' (Autumn 2000). pp. 106–23.

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

. 24 September 2004. * Julian S. Corbett, ''Some Principles of Maritime Strategy.'' Classics of Seapower series. Annapolis, MD:

Naval Institute Press The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...

, 1988. * Julian S. Corbett, ''Maritime Operations in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, 1904–05.'' (1994)

References

External links

Murray, Williamson. "Corbett, Julian." ''Reader's Companion to Military History.''
Houghton Mifflin. 23 September 2004.

"Great Warrior Leaders/Thinkers." August 1999. Air University Library, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. 23 September 2004. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Julian 1854 births 1922 deaths English naval historians Military theorists Geopoliticians British military historians People from Thames Ditton