Mutiny on Trial: Law and Order among Seventeenth-Century Seafarers.

This article examines the concept of mutiny in seventeenth-century maritime law, focusing on British seafarers and legal cases from the English High Court of Admiralty, while situating these within broader international legal contexts. It argues that mutiny was not a fixed or uniformly defined offense but a flexible legal label applied amid complex and fragmented maritime jurisdictions, where customary law played a significant role alongside naval and municipal regulations. Through analysis of court depositions, the article reveals that seafarers actively participated in shaping social order aboard ships, engaging in dialogue, collective decision-making, and legal disputes rather than simply rebelling against authority. The findings challenge dominant views of mutiny as solely violent insurrection or radical protest, highlighting instead a nuanced social process of ordering that involved negotiation, shared expectations, and legal awareness among crews and commanders. This study contributes to maritime social history by emphasizing the agency of early modern seafarers within imperial and legal frameworks and cautioning against simplistic interpretations of mutiny in historical sources.