Archaeologists implement the oldest naval artillery in Europe on the royal ship engulfed

The sinking of Grshunden revealed a unique artillery and an overview of European exploration. Denmark, however, has prioritized Baltic control over the expansion of the Atlantic.

Archaeologists from the University of Lund have discovered new information on late medieval artillery preserved in the wreck of the Danish Royal Norwegian Gribshunden lighthouse.

This ship is the only surviving example of this type of the medieval era, with the ship and its weapons closely like those who are later used by the first Spanish and Portuguese explorers. Research underlines how the maritime powers of the end of the 15th century were equipped to start asserting control and establishing colonies around the world.

“Exploring a royal sinking at the end of the medieval period is exciting. He collaborated with his colleague archaeologist from the University of Lund Martin Hansson and his specialist in medieval artillery Kay Douglas Smith.

GribShunden, the flagship of King Hans of Denmark and Norway, sank in mysterious circumstances in 1495 near Ronneby, Sweden. Its remains are of world importance, representing the best preserved ship in the era of exploration and serving closely in parallel to the ships of Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

Oceanic ships such as GribShunden, as well as the artillery they have transported, have become essential technologies for the European Sea after 1492. These innovations allowed trips to the Americas and in the Indian Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope, opening the way to generalized European colonization. GribShunden is particularly precious for archeology because this is the most intact example to date of a Carvel Late Carvel warship.

The ship was armed with 50 small or more caliber cannons that pulled lead projectiles with iron storms. These weapons were designed for a reporting combat, targeting the crews of enemy ships to deactivate them before getting on board for capture.

Under the supervision of Professor Nicolo Dell’Unto, the University of Lund team digitally rebuilt these pistols using 3D models created from the recovered artifacts.

A Danish “floating castle” “

Grshunden was built near Rotterdam between 1483-84. King Hans of Denmark and Norway had taken possession of the ship in the spring of 1486. ​​The high cost of construction and equipment of these ships meant that Gribshunden probably absorbed around 8% of the Danish national budget in 1485.

Hans used his lighthouse differently from other monarchs; He personally sailed on it frequently, using it not for exploration, but to solidify his scope on his kingdom. It was his floating castle, allowing royal trips to Sweden and all around the Danish kingdom, including Gotland and especially Norway.

The king used this ship in a similar way to a terrestrial royal fortification. This included several soft power functions: economic, diplomatic, social, cultural and administrative. Under the underlying of all this was the obvious hard power of the martial goal of the ship embodied by the cannons and other weapons transported on board.

Proof of explosion

GribShunden served the crown for a decade before sink while the king was on the way to Copenhagen at a political summit in Sweden, where he expected to unify the entire Nordic region in a new Kalmar union.

The historical documents, including the accounts of eye witness, report that while Hans was on the ground in Ronneby, an explosion and a fire claimed the ship while it was anchored from the city.

Among the artillery plans of 22 GribShunden dishes, several are flattened on one or two sides. This can be the result of the explosion that sank the ship. A stored in the hold near the ricochet barrel powder inside the ship.

No Nordic expansion in North America

So, taking into account the existence of these warships, why didn’t Denmark compete in the expansion of the Americas? Denmark and Norway have shared the long Vikings and the medieval Nordic history of exploration and the colony in the West, with colonies in Iceland and Greenland, and colonies in North America.

Coupled with the adoption of this new enabling technology, Hans could have been in competition with Iberian leaders in global exploration and expansion for the Americas.

However, Hans’ main concern was to consolidate the rule on the Baltic region. In pursuing this goal, Hans himself sailed on Grshunden in the Atlantic during several royal visits and in Kalmar during the ship’s last trip.

One of the reasons for Denmark’s inattention to the Americas could have been a Papal 1493 bull signed by Pope Alexandre VI. This granted the rights of Spain to the Americas, and a treaty between Spain and Portugal has sold the Indian Ocean to the latter. Before the reform, the threat of excommunication to ignore the papal “inter caetera” was very real.

Reference: “Artillery aboard medieval end ships International Nautical Archeology Journal.
DOI: 10.1080 / 10572414.2025.2532166

Research was funded by subsidies from the Swedish research council (The Swedish Research Council), Crafoordska Stifltelsen, Huckleberry Foundation (USA), and with the support of the Blekinge Museum and the Archeology Department of Lund University and ancient history.

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