In summer 1495, the flagship of the Danish-Norwegian King Hans sank at anchor near Ronney, Blekinge. Named Griffwen/Griffen or Gribshunden, the ship and an accompanying squadron were conveying Hans to a summit in Kalmar where Hans expected to be crowned of Sweden thereby achieve his ambition of re-unifying the Nordic region.
Gribshunden a floating castle
The loss of the vessel and the matériel it carried was a setback, as the vessel was one of Hans’ most important royal instruments: his “floating castle”.
Recent excavations of the ship combined with archival materials provide a window into how Hans employed his flagship for various military, political, economic, administrative, and social/cultural functions. Artifacts, including the ship itself, demonstrate the broad geographical connections developed by this dynamic ruler, and also highlight the transition from medieval to modern.
Weapons and artwork
Discussion will include interpretation of several finds unique to this site including weapons, artwork, coins, and spices/medicines
About Brendan Foley
Brendan Foley is the director of the Gribshunden Shipwreck Project. His education is in history, archaeology, and interdisciplinary science, and he specializes in application of advanced methods to archaeology. Previous work includes investigation of several ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean and excavation of the Antikythera wreck, and human remains recoveries from submerged World War II aircraft.
Lund University and Blekinge Museum
Formerly a Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Research Specialist in the Deep Submergence Laboratory of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the USA, he is now jointly employed at Lund University and Blekinge Museum.
