Edward L. Dreyer

Who was Edward L. Dreyer?

Edward L. Dreyer was an American historian, known for his works on the history of the Chinese Ming Empire.

Born in San Diego, Edward L. Dreyer earned his B.A. in history from Harvard University in 1961. In 1971 he earned a PhD degree with a thesis on "The Emergence of Chu Yuan-chang, 1360–65." His advisors were John Fairbank and Lien-sheng Yang.

Edward L. Dreyer spent most of his career as a professor of history at the University of Miami. He authored a number of books and papers on various aspects of the Ming state, in particular on its formative years and on its military and naval history, including the chapter on the "Military origins of Ming China" in the Cambridge History of China. He was one of the authorities on such matters as the Battle of Lake Poyang and the expeditions of Zheng He.