Foreword -- Preface -- Cromwell's Foreign Policy: the Historical Assessment -- The Decision-Making Apparatus: Council, Secretary, and Ambassadors -- Cromwell's Approach to the 'Two Crowns', 1651-4 -- The Verge of a Breach with France: July 1654-March 1655 -- The 'Western Design' -- Leda's Mission and the 'Vaudois Massacre' -- Spain's Breach of Relations with England -- 1656-England delays an Offensive Alliance with France -- The French Alliance of March 1657 -- England, France, and Dunkirk 1657-8 -- Cromwell and the Dutch, 1653-4 -- The Uneasy Peace: England and the Dutch, 1654-8 -- Cromwell and the Baltic, 1654-6 -- Cromwell and the Baltic, 1656-8 -- Cromwell and Russia, 1653-8 -- Cromwell, the City, and Trade: Venice and the Turks -- The Financial Aspect of Foreign Policy -- Conclusions -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. 1. Cromwell's Foreign Policy: The Historical Assessment -- 2. The Decision-making Process: Council, Secretary and Ambassadors -- 3. Cromwell's Approach to the 'Two Crowns', 1651-4 -- 4. The Verge of a Breach with France: July 1654-March 1655 -- 5. The Western Design -- 6. Leda's Mission and the Vaudois Massacre -- 7. Spain's Breach of Relations with England -- 8. 1656 -- England Delays an Offensive Alliance with France -- 9. The French Alliance of March 1657 -- 10. England, France and Dunkirk, 1657-8 -- 11. Cromwell and the Dutch, 1653-4 -- 12. The Uneasy Peace: England and the Dutch, 1654-8 -- 13. Cromwell and the Baltic, 1654-6 -- 14. Cromwell and the Baltic, 1656-8 -- 15. Cromwell and Russia, 1653-8 -- 16. Cromwell, the City and Trade: Venice and the Turks -- 17. The Financial Aspects of Foreign Policy.