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Lund University archaeologists have revealed details of late medieval artillery from the wreck of the royal Danish-Norwegian flagship, Gribshunden. The shipwreck is the only known example of its kind from the medieval period—as both ship and weapons are nearly identical to those of the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers.

The new study tells the story of how early modern maritime adventurers were equipped to start the process of dominance and colonization across the world. The work is in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.

"Diving on this late medieval royal shipwreck is, of course, exciting. However, the greatest satisfaction is when we can actually put the pieces of the puzzle together later on; combining Martin's castle expertise with Kay's deep understanding of artillery," explains Brendan Foley, the marine archaeologist behind the study, who worked closely with fellow LU archaeologist Martin Hansson and medieval artillery expert Kay Douglas Smith.

Gribshunden, the flagship of the Danish-Norwegian King Hans, sank mysteriously in 1495 off the coast of Ronneby, Sweden. The wreck is internationally significant as the world's best-preserved ship from the Age of Exploration—a proxy for the vessels of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

Ocean-going ships like Gribshunden and the artillery they carried were critical technologies for European explorers after 1492. The voyages to America and into the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope led to European colonization around the world. Gribshunden is a rare archaeological resource, as it is the most complete example yet discovered of a late medieval carvel warship.

The ship carried 50 or more small caliber guns firing lead shot with an iron core. They were intended for anti-personnel use at close range, with tactics designed to injure or kill the enemy ships' personnel, followed by boarding to capture the vessel. Led by Lund University Professor Nicolo Dell'Unto, the Lund University team recreated the guns from 3D models of the artifacts.

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A Danish 'floating castle'

Gribshunden was built near Rotterdam between 1483–84. King Hans of Denmark and Norway had taken possession of the ship by spring 1486. The high cost of building and equipping these ships meant Gribshunden probably absorbed about 8% of the Danish national budget in 1485.

Hans utilized his flagship differently from other monarchs; he personally sailed on it frequently, using it not for exploration, but to solidify his grasp on his kingdom. It was his floating castle, enabling royal travel to Sweden and all around the Danish realm, including Gotland and especially Norway.

The king used this vessel in ways similar to a terrestrial royal fortification. This included several soft power functions: economic, diplomatic, social, cultural, and administrative. Underpinning all of these was the obvious hard power of the ship's martial purpose embodied by the guns and other weapons carried aboard.

Evidence of explosion

Gribshunden served the crown for a decade before sinking while the king was en route from Copenhagen to a political summit in Sweden, where he expected to unify the entire Nordic region in a new Kalmar Union. Historical documents, including eyewitness accounts, relate that while Hans was ashore in Ronneby, an explosion and fire claimed the ship while it was anchored off the town.

Among the 22-lead artillery shots from Gribshunden, several are flattened on one or two sides. This may be a result of the explosion that sank the vessel. Shot stored in the hold near the gunpowder ricocheted inside the ship.

No Nordic expansion into North America

So, given the existence of these warships, why didn't Denmark compete in expanding to the Americas? Denmark and Norway shared the long Viking and medieval Nordic history of exploration and settlement in the west, with colonies in Iceland and Greenland, and settlements in North America.

Coupled with the adoption of this new enabling technology, Hans might have successfully competed with the Iberian rulers in global exploration and expansion to the Americas.

However, Hans' primary concern was consolidating rule over the Baltic region. In pursuit of that goal, Hans himself sailed on Gribshunden into the Atlantic on several royal visits, and to Kalmar on the ship's final voyage.

One reason for Denmark's inattention to the Americas might have been a 1493 papal bull signed by Pope Alexander VI. This granted Spain rights to the Americas, and a treaty between Spain and Portugal ceded the Indian Ocean to the latter. Prior to the Reformation, the threat of excommunication for ignoring the papal "Inter Caetera" was very real.

The study was written by archaeologists Brendan Foley and Martin Hansson, with English medieval artillery expert Kay Douglas Smith. The project is conducted in collaboration with Blekinge Museum, Vikingeskibsmueet, and Ronneby municipality.

The Gribshunden artillery artifacts are exhibited and curated at the Blekinge Museum facility in Rosenholm, with select artifacts on temporary display in Kallvattenkuren in Ronneby, and in Museet for Søfart in Helsingør, Denmark.

Plans are underway to create a dedicated Gribshunden museum in Ronneby, where the artillery and other objects from the wreck may ultimately find a permanent home.