Archaeologists Discover Europe’s Oldest Naval Artillery on the Sunken Danish Warship Gribshunden
Archaeologists from Lund University have made a remarkable discovery that reshapes how we think about early naval warfare and Europe’s readiness for global exploration. While working on the wreck of Gribshunden, the royal flagship of King Hans of Denmark and Norway, researchers uncovered some of the oldest preserved naval artillery in Europe. The find is extraordinary because it connects directly to the technologies that launched the great voyages of discovery, yet also reveals why Denmark chose to focus its power closer to home.
The Ship and Its Royal Owner
Gribshunden was built around 1483–1484, likely near Rotterdam in the southern Netherlands. By the spring of 1486, King Hans had taken possession of the vessel. At the time, construction and outfitting of such ships consumed huge resources; in fact, Gribshunden is estimated to have cost around 8% of Denmark’s national budget in 1485. That level of expenditure shows how important this vessel was to the crown.
Unlike monarchs who used their warships primarily for exploration or long-range ventures, Hans employed Gribshunden as his floating castle. He frequently sailed on it himself, traveling across his realm, particularly to Sweden, Gotland, and Norway.
The ship became not just a tool of war, but also of diplomacy, politics, and soft power. Onboard Gribshunden, Hans conducted royal business, projected authority, and reinforced his rule over the Danish-Norwegian kingdom.
The Mysterious Sinking of 1495
Gribshunden’s career ended abruptly in 1495. While anchored off the town of Ronneby in Sweden, the ship caught fire and sank. King Hans was ashore at the time, preparing for a political summit where he intended to consolidate control over the Nordic region through a new Kalmar Union. Eyewitness accounts describe an explosion and fire aboard the ship, which likely originated from its stock of gunpowder. Although the king survived, the vessel was lost.
Archaeological evidence supports the idea of an internal blast. Researchers found several lead artillery shot flattened on one or both sides. These deformed projectiles may have been ricocheted during the explosion that destroyed the ship. Documents of the time confirm that the ship was anchored when disaster struck, reinforcing the theory that it was a catastrophic accident rather than enemy action.
What Makes Gribshunden So Important?
Gribshunden is the only surviving late medieval royal warship of its type, making it an unparalleled archaeological treasure. It provides a direct glimpse into the technology of naval warfare just before Europe launched into overseas colonization. Ships like this were crucial in enabling long-distance travel, not just because of their ability to sail across oceans, but because of the firepower they carried.
This ship’s design, known as carvel-built construction, was a significant innovation. Planks were laid edge-to-edge rather than overlapping, allowing for larger, stronger hulls capable of carrying more artillery. Gribshunden is the best-preserved example of this style from the late medieval period. It bridges the gap between Viking longships and the gunned sailing ships of the early modern age.
The Artillery Findings
One of the most groundbreaking aspects of the excavation is the discovery of 50 or more small-caliber guns that once armed Gribshunden. Archaeologists have so far recovered 11 complete or partial examples, along with their oak gun beds. One of these beds measured an astonishing 4.1 meters in length, which is 50% longer than others found on the wreck.
These weapons were not large cannons designed to smash through the hulls of enemy ships. Instead, they were anti-personnel guns, meant to fire lead projectiles with iron cores at close range. The intention was to disable enemy crews, clearing their decks before boarding and capture. In this sense, naval battles of the time were less about sinking opponents and more about gaining control over them.
Interestingly, the researchers found traces of organic material associated with the guns, including a linstock, the wooden device used to ignite powder charges. This preservation is exceptional and is owed largely to the low salinity of the Baltic Sea, which prevents the growth of shipworm and allows wood and other materials to survive for centuries underwater.
Digital Reconstruction of the Weapons
Under the leadership of Professor Nicolo Dell’Unto, the Lund University team digitally reconstructed the artillery pieces using 3D modeling techniques. These reconstructions provide insights not only into how the weapons looked but also into how they may have functioned during naval engagements. The data revealed a sophisticated approach to shipboard warfare that closely parallels what Spanish and Portuguese explorers would soon be using to conquer and colonize lands across the globe.
Why Didn’t Denmark Join the Race for the Americas?
The discovery naturally raises an intriguing question: if Denmark had ships like Gribshunden, equipped with advanced artillery and capable of long voyages, why didn’t it take part in the great wave of Atlantic exploration?
There are several reasons:
- Political Priorities: Hans was more focused on consolidating his influence over the Baltic region rather than competing with Spain and Portugal for overseas territories.
- Religious Politics: In 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued a papal bull granting Spain rights to the Americas. A treaty with Portugal also ceded the Indian Ocean to Portuguese control. For Catholic monarchs, ignoring these decrees risked excommunication, which was a serious threat at the time.
- Historical Context: Denmark had a tradition of exploration through its Viking past, with colonies in Iceland, Greenland, and even settlements in North America centuries earlier. However, in the late 15th century, priorities had shifted away from westward exploration.
This combination of political, religious, and strategic factors explains why Denmark, despite possessing ships and artillery similar to those used by Columbus and Vasco da Gama, did not pursue global colonization.
Extra Context: The Evolution of Naval Artillery
To fully appreciate Gribshunden’s significance, it helps to understand the broader story of shipboard artillery.
- Early Naval Guns: In the 14th and 15th centuries, European ships began mounting small guns, often called swivel guns, for use in boarding actions. These were light, portable, and fired stone or lead shot.
- The Rise of Gunports: In the early 16th century, naval engineers began cutting gunports into hulls, enabling larger cannons to fire broadsides. This marked the beginning of the true “ship of the line.”
- Impact on Exploration: The combination of carvel construction and heavy artillery made ships into powerful tools for exploration and conquest. They could defend themselves against pirates and foreign rivals, and their firepower made them nearly unstoppable when confronting indigenous populations during colonization.
Gribshunden, then, sits at a transitional point. It shows us a ship equipped for war with many small guns, but not yet evolved into the heavily armed galleons that dominated later centuries.
Cultural and Political Role of the Ship
King Hans used Gribshunden as more than just a war machine. It functioned as a mobile royal palace. Onboard, the king hosted diplomatic meetings, managed economic affairs, and reinforced his cultural authority. The ship’s presence in ports around the Baltic would have sent a clear message of strength, just as a stone castle did on land.
This blending of soft power and hard power—where diplomacy and administration were backed by the visible might of artillery—shows how ships could serve as instruments of governance in addition to warfare.
A Glimpse Into the Past and Lessons for Today
The excavation of Gribshunden is a reminder that technology and politics must be understood together. The ship demonstrates that Denmark had the tools to join the global race for exploration, but political and religious realities kept the kingdom focused on regional dominance. It also shows how preservation environments like the Baltic Sea can provide archaeologists with rare opportunities to study organic material, weapons, and artifacts that would normally have been lost to time.
For historians and archaeologists, the Gribshunden wreck is a treasure trove. It connects the Viking legacy of exploration with the emerging world of European expansion, sitting right on the threshold of the Age of Exploration.
The Research Behind the Discovery
The findings are detailed in the paper “Late Medieval Shipboard Artillery on a Northern European Carvel: Gribshunden (1495)” by Brendan Foley, Kay Douglas Smith, and Martin Hansson, published July 31, 2025, in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.
