Maritime history of Europe

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Maritime history of Europe

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A comprehensive history tracing human interaction with Europe's seas, from Minoans to modern commerce.

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Origins & Early Life

The Maritime history of Europe represents the era of recorded human interaction with the sea in the northwestern region of Eurasia in areas that include shipping and shipbuilding, shipwrecks, naval battles, and military installations and lighthouses constructed to protect or aid navigation and the development of Europe. Europe is situated between several navigable seas and intersected by navigable rivers running into them in a way which greatly facilitated the influence of maritime traffic and commerce. Great battles have been fought in the seas off of Europe that changed the course of history forever, including the Battle of Salamis in the Mediterranean, the Battle of Gravelines at the eastern end of the English Channel in the summer of 1588, in which the “Invincible” Spanish Armada was defeated, the Battle of Jutland in World War I, and World War II’s U-boat war. Egyptian sources mention regular shipments of copper from the island of Cyprus, which arrived at the city of Byblos as early as 2600 BCE. The Minoans of Crete are the earliest known European seafarers of the Mediterranean Sea.

Career & Major Achievements

Little is known of their ships, but they reportedly traded pottery as far west as Sicily. According to the historian Thucydides, by 1900 BCE. their King Minos commanded a navy and conquered the islands of the Aegean. The Mycenaeans would obtain maritime hegemony in the region around 1600 BCE and hold it until the attacks of the Sea Peoples, which disrupted the maritime culture and the naval balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age collapse between 1200 and 900 BCE. During the following centuries the ancient Greek navies began to use ships with two banks of oars; and by the 6th century BCE, the three-banked trireme had been adopted by all sea-faring city states.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Alongside the Phoenicians, who from around 1200 BCE had settled in the Levant and Northern Africa, Greek trading fleets and navies dominated the Mediterranean until the ascent of Rome in the third and second centuries BCE. Greek ships, methods of engagement, movement and command under the Athenian general Themistocles proved to be highly effective during the Greco-Persian Wars (499 to 449 BCE). Relatively small Greek forces successfully delayed the Persian fleet in a series of naval engagements in 480 BCE. Naval conflict culminated in the straits between the port of Piraeus and Salamis Island in the Battle of Salamis (September 480 BCE), when 371 Greek triremes and pentekonters defeated King Xerxes' Persian fleet of over 1,200 ships, which included Phoenician, Egyptian, Cilician and Cypriot contingents. The city of Athens, which had risen to naval supremacy among the Greek city states, was defeated in the Peloponnesian War and lost its fleet in the Battle of Aegospotami against the Peloponnesian League under Lysander in 405 BCE.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1200: 1200 Milestone — Alongside the Phoenicians, who from around 1200 BCE had settled in the Levant and Northern Africa, Greek trading fleets and navies dominated the Mediterranean until the ascent of Rome in the third and second centuries BCE.
2. 1588: 1588 Milestone — Great battles have been fought in the seas off of Europe that changed the course of history forever, including the Battle of Salamis in the Mediterranean, the Battle of Gravelines at the eastern end of the English Channel in the summer of 1588, in which the “Invincible” Spanish Armada was defeated, the Battle of Jutland in World War I, and World War II’s U-boat war.
3. 1600: 1600 Milestone — The Mycenaeans would obtain maritime hegemony in the region around 1600 BCE and hold it until the attacks of the Sea Peoples, which disrupted the maritime culture and the naval balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age collapse between 1200 and 900 BCE.
4. 1900: 1900 Milestone — According to the historian Thucydides, by 1900 BCE.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Maritime history of Europe

True or False: “The Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE involved the defeat of a massive Persian fleet by Greek triremes.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): This decisive naval battle saw 371 Greek triremes overcome King Xerxes' much larger combined force.

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