"Few English imperial executives of the seventeenth century contributed as much to the shaping of both the first English empire and the future American nation as did Sir Edmund Andros. As governor-general of New York, the Dominion of New England, and Virginia, his royalist roots, military training, and executive ability made him an ideal candidate to protect, defend, expand, and ensure the survival of England's North American colonies.".

"This study differs from most past assessments of Andros, which portray him in a negative light as an autocratic tyrant. A soldier, administrator, courtier, and diplomat, Andros served a succession of Stuart monarchs in both Old and New Worlds. Andros's most significant achievement in New York, his first governorship, was to avoid an Indian war like that which sparked rebellion in Virginia and a major conflict in New England.

Instead Andros negotiated a lasting agreement with the powerful Five Nations of the Iroquois. The 1677 Covenant Chain was eventually extended from New York to New England and the Chesapeake. It ensured the survival in North America of both the Iroquois and the English. Andros also made significant attempts to increase the population and improve the economy of New York."--BOOK JACKET.