Read the excerpt below from Theodore Roosevelt's book "The Naval War of 1812."

During the early years of this century England's naval power stood at a height never reached before or since by that of any other nation. On every sea her navies rode, not only triumphant, but with none to dispute their sway. The island folk had long claimed the mastery of the ocean, and they had certainly succeeded in making their claim completely good during the time of bloody warfare that followed the breaking out of the French Revolution. Since the year 1792 each European nation, in turn, had learned to feel bitter dread of the weight of England's hand.

Select the best denotative meaning for the word "height."

A high place or area
An extreme instance
The measurement from the base of something to the top
The most intense part or period of something