Renaissance War Galleys

I picked up 'Renaissance War Galley 1470-1590' by Angus Konstam at Borders on Saturday night and spent a nice rainy, afternoon reading the illustrated volume. It is, of course, a great introductory volume to the employment of galleys in Renassiance naval warfare.

Later that night, I went to my shelf and picked out 'Warfare at Sea, 1500-1650: Maritime Conflicts and the Transformation of Europe' by Jan Glete. It covered naval warfare during that period with respect to society and political systems. The employment of the galley as a naval system, its associated usage (types of oarsmen), construction, were, of course, a function of the societies that created them. Specialised vessels such as the galley did not exist in isolation. I read Chapter 6 'The Mediterranean: the failure of empires' which covered Zonchio 1499: a decisive battle, declining and rising empires: Venice, The Ottomans and Spain, The Ottomans, the Habsburgs and France 1510-59, The apogree of galley warfare 1559-80 and The triumph of private violence 1580-1650.

What surprised me was the heavy presence of dominance of Dutch and English privateers during the 1580-1650 period and the inability of the Spanish, Ottoman and Venetian states to build adequate galleons and carracks to compete. The end of the galley period was in sight then.

The usage of galleys in that 'protected sea' such as the Baltic was another matter.

'The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-Classical Times' by Morrison is the most accessible reference available and is finally re-issued and available in softcover. Not to be missed. 'Gunpowder and Galleys' by John Francis Guilmartin is another essential text on this era.