The Age of Sail’s Most Famous Battles: The History of the Naval Engagements that Shaped Europe in the Early Modern Period

By the mid-15th century, the Byzantine Empire had collapsed and the various Crusades that had taken place in the region had largely disrupted the overland routes of the Silk Road and trade. Compounding the difficulties of trade was the rise of the Ottoman Empire in place of the Byzantines and the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe.

It was roughly around this time that a period of European exploration began, and major factors that contributed to this period of exploration were introduced by the Chinese, albeit indirectly. The magnetic compass had already been developed and used by the Chinese sailors since the 12th century, although it had first been created in the 3rd century B.C. as a divination device. The Song Dynasty then began using the device for land navigation in the 11th century and sailors began using it shortly after. The technology slowly spread west via Arab traders, although a case can be made for the independent European creation for the compass. Regardless, by the 13th century the compass had found its way to Western traders, coming at a time that trade had been increasing across Europe.

By the start of the 15th century, ships were now much larger and able to support long-distance travel with a minimum number of crew aboard, fueling European imperialism across the globe. Maritime trade expanded on an unprecedented scale, bringing resources to and from Asia and the Americass, and even some powerful companies like the British East India Company raised capital from investors and operated with quasi-sovereign authority in far-flung regions.

Of course, the various European powers, many of whom had already been fighting each other for generations, jockeyed for spices, gold, converts, and power across the seas, bringing about some of history’s most famous naval engagements and determining the fates of empires.

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Lydbog: 12. marts 2026