![]() ![]() Galley-type designs were used even up into the 1800s in certain places, because oared gunboats (for example) were extremely useful in defending harbors, being independent of the wind. In the Mediterranean world, many types of ships that were not galleys were built. Neither of which are true.Ģ) The trope of medieval people relying on ancient galley designs is tired and needs to die. Saying that "the medieval world was not technologically equipped to travel on the open atlantic" implies that the Norse were somehow distinct from "the medieval world" and/or that the contemporary kingdoms of the Atlantic world were not able to learn from the Norse model to make boats and ships of their own. But the evolution of sailing ships from the Viking knarr to the cog into the carrack into the galleon (with related galley/galleass development) was ongoing during the period of say 700-1200. One of them, in fact, was by borrowing boat- and ship-building techniques from the Norse (who, I should add, did not depend exclusively or possibly even mainly on longship designs for their exploring - their merchant ships were built differently from longships, for different missions.). "Medieval" people (and it's important to note that the Viking age is a subset of what we classify as "medieval") developed many technologies that allowed them to sail in the Atlantic. So yes the Vikings were impressive sailors, but they became legendary because they had such vastly superior naval technology compared to their peers.ĭo you have a source or sources for this? Because there are two points I would make: Simply put the medieval world was not technologically equipped to travel on the open atlantic, but rather relied upon ancient galley designs that were meant to ply the calm waters of the Mediterranean. There are even stories with longboats being portaged by their crew. Additionally the boat was so narrow it could be taken down rivers and light enough to be beached without damaging the hull. They featured a deep keelboard to provide stability, a relatively narrow silhouette which provided a much faster trip, and most importantly they were designed to be able to take waves over the deck and drain the water effectively. The Viking longboat on the other hand was well suited for atlantic travel. These medieval craft were large, cumbersome, and generally poorly suited for atlantic travel, but excelled in the protected waters of the Mediterranean. Throughout Europe during that time most of European naval technology was effectively derived from Roman galleys and other Mediterranean craft. While their skill as sailors is without a doubt what I think is most important is the difference in technology. They vikings did not for example do battle at sea to any great degree and when they did, longships were usually used more or less as platforms for infantry combat. "good sailors" is after all a relative term. If you want more specific information you'll have to ask a more specific question. The versatility of the longship combined with the relatively advanced navigation is what enabled the vikings to raid, trade and settle such vast areas. A longship can reach speeds up to 15 knots which was unmatched at the time (though a more common speed was probably 5-10 knots). A half wheel is a kind of sun-diameter which allows you to determine latitude and compass heading to within about 5 degrees).Ī longship is a fast and versatile ship, relatively sea worthy for the time (especially the somewhat heavier norwegian models) and with a very shallow draft which allowed navigation of rivers inaccessible to heavier types of ships. This allows you to roughly gauge how high the sun is in the sky even if it's cloudy. or over a flat surface, it will refract the light differently depending on how high the sun is in the sky causing it to take on different colours. ![]() ![]() A sunstone is a type of quartz that polarizes the light. (to those unfamiliar with sunstones and half wheels, they are navigational aids. A few of the most famous ones include the longship, the half wheel and the sunstone which, along with a lifetime of developing a sense of currents, speeds and distances traveled, allowed the Vikings to navigate very accurately for the time. This led to relatively rapid naval architectural and navigational inventions. Added to this, almost every major settlement in Scandinavia was by the sea or a major waterway. ![]() This of course fostered a strong naval tradition by nessectiy. If you wanted to get somewhere you got there by boat. Scandinavia was vast, largely consisting of rough terrain and relatively sparesly populated compared to the rest of Europe at the time. Fishing was an important source of food but sailing was an absolute nessecity for trade or travel. The sea and sailing was very important to the Vikings for several reasons. The short answer is of course that the vikings had a strong naval tradition. ![]()
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