Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Scandinavian Late‐medieval Elite Architecture on Land and at Sea. : A Spatial Study of the Castle Glimmingehus and the Warship Gribshunden

Hansson, Martin LU orcid and Foley, Brendan LU orcid (2026) In Medieval Archaeology 70(1). p.52-79
Abstract
THIS PAPER COMPARES THE SOCIAL USE OF SPACE in late-medieval castles and warships. The main case studies used are the noble castle of Glimmingehus in present-day Sweden, built 1499 to 1505, and the royal warship Gribshunden, in use from the mid-1480s until its sinking in 1495; we also refer to the later and fully excavated warships Mary Rose and Vasa. Both castles and warships are examples of elite architecture, structures in which different social groups intermingled. They are also structures where all the basic functions were brought together in a single entity,. It is argued that castles and warships share common architectural features related to power, and that some functions and spatial uses were also quite similar. Conversely, at the... (More)
THIS PAPER COMPARES THE SOCIAL USE OF SPACE in late-medieval castles and warships. The main case studies used are the noble castle of Glimmingehus in present-day Sweden, built 1499 to 1505, and the royal warship Gribshunden, in use from the mid-1480s until its sinking in 1495; we also refer to the later and fully excavated warships Mary Rose and Vasa. Both castles and warships are examples of elite architecture, structures in which different social groups intermingled. They are also structures where all the basic functions were brought together in a single entity,. It is argued that castles and warships share common architectural features related to power, and that some functions and spatial uses were also quite similar. Conversely, at the same time, elements such as heating, light conditions and hygiene, show that the two entities were markedly different. The castle or warship was a private, secluded space where residents shared living conditions, but remained separated by physical and social barriers. Different categories of people probably experienced this in distinctive ways. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Abstract in French

L’architecture éminente scandinave à la fin du Moyen-Âge sur terre et en mer. Une étude spatiale du château de Glimmingehus et du navire de guerre Gribshunden Par MARTIN HANSSON et BRENDAN FOLEY

Ce papier compare l’utilisation sociale de l’espace dans les châteaux et les navires de guerre à la fin du Moyen-Âge. Les principales études de cas utilisées sont le château de Glimmingehus dans la Suède actuelle, une résidence de la noblesse dont la construction intervient entre 1499 et 1505, et le Gribshunden, un navire de guerre royal en service de la moitié des années 1480 jusqu’à son naufrage en 1495 ; nous faisons également référence aux navires de guerre plus récents que sont le Mary Rose et le... (More)
Abstract in French

L’architecture éminente scandinave à la fin du Moyen-Âge sur terre et en mer. Une étude spatiale du château de Glimmingehus et du navire de guerre Gribshunden Par MARTIN HANSSON et BRENDAN FOLEY

Ce papier compare l’utilisation sociale de l’espace dans les châteaux et les navires de guerre à la fin du Moyen-Âge. Les principales études de cas utilisées sont le château de Glimmingehus dans la Suède actuelle, une résidence de la noblesse dont la construction intervient entre 1499 et 1505, et le Gribshunden, un navire de guerre royal en service de la moitié des années 1480 jusqu’à son naufrage en 1495 ; nous faisons également référence aux navires de guerre plus récents que sont le Mary Rose et le Vasa, qui ont fait l’objet de fouilles extensives. Les châteaux et les navires de guerre sont tous deux des exemples d’architecture éminente, soit des structures où différents groupes sociaux se mêlaient. Ce sont également des structures dans lesquelles toutes les fonctions de base étaient rassemblées dans la même entité. Il est fait valoir que les châteaux et les navires de guerre ont en commun des caractéristiques architecturales ayant trait au pouvoir, et que certaines fonctions et utilisations de l’espace présentaient aussi certaines similitudes. A l’inverse, en même temps, des éléments tels que le chauffage, les conditions d’éclairage et l’hygiène, montrent des différences marquées entre les deux entités. Le château ou le navire de guerre était un espace privé, reclus, où les occupants partageaient le même cadre de vie, tout en maintenant une séparation du fait de barrières physiques et sociales. Les personnes de différentes catégories en faisaient probablement l’expérience de manière distincte. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Glimmingehus, Gribshunden, Social space, castle, warship, Late Middle Ages
in
Medieval Archaeology
volume
70
issue
1
pages
28 pages
publisher
Maney Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:105039697214
ISSN
0076-6097
DOI
10.1080/00766097.2026.2647583
project
Floating Castles: the Built Environment and Social Signaling in Medieval Scandinavia
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4815d648-d03a-4909-8df8-2f1d911576f9
date added to LUP
2026-05-25 08:00:52
date last changed
2026-07-12 04:02:16
@article{4815d648-d03a-4909-8df8-2f1d911576f9,
  abstract     = {{THIS PAPER COMPARES THE SOCIAL USE OF SPACE in late-medieval castles and warships. The main case studies used are the noble castle of Glimmingehus in present-day Sweden, built 1499 to 1505, and the royal warship Gribshunden, in use from the mid-1480s until its sinking in 1495; we also refer to the later and fully excavated warships Mary Rose and Vasa. Both castles and warships are examples of elite architecture, structures in which different social groups intermingled. They are also structures where all the basic functions were brought together in a single entity,. It is argued that castles and warships share common architectural features related to power, and that some functions and spatial uses were also quite similar. Conversely, at the same time, elements such as heating, light conditions and hygiene, show that the two entities were markedly different. The castle or warship was a private, secluded space where residents shared living conditions, but remained separated by physical and social barriers. Different categories of people probably experienced this in distinctive ways.}},
  author       = {{Hansson, Martin and Foley, Brendan}},
  issn         = {{0076-6097}},
  keywords     = {{Glimmingehus; Gribshunden; Social space; castle; warship; Late Middle Ages}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{52--79}},
  publisher    = {{Maney Publishing}},
  series       = {{Medieval Archaeology}},
  title        = {{Scandinavian Late‐medieval Elite Architecture on Land and at Sea. : A Spatial Study of the Castle Glimmingehus and the Warship Gribshunden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2026.2647583}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/00766097.2026.2647583}},
  volume       = {{70}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}