galleon
Sign in to savethumb|right|upright=1.5|A Spanish galleon (left) firing its cannons at a Dutch warship (right). Cornelis Verbeeck, c. 1618–1620 thumb|right|Portuguese galleon Padre Eterno thumb|right|Carracks, galleon (center/right), square rigged caravel (below), galley and fusta (galliot) depicted by D. João de Castro on the "Suez Expedition" (part of the Portuguese Armada of 72 ships sent against the Ottoman fleet at anchor in Suez, Egypt, in response to its entry in the Indian Ocean and the siege of Diu in 1538) — Tábuas da India in the João de Castro's Roteiro do Mar Roxo (Routemap of the Red Sea) of 154
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A galleon was a large sailing warship used by European powers, particularly Spain and Portugal, from the 16th century onward. It mattered because it represented a significant advancement in naval technology and became central to European naval power and colonial expansion during the Age of Exploration.
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Article
9 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- History
- Construction
- Distinguishing features
- The oldest English drawings
- Notable galleons
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|right|upright=1.5|A Spanish galleon (left) firing its cannons at a Dutch warship (right). Cornelis Verbeeck, c. 1618–1620 thumb|right|Portuguese galleon Padre Eterno thumb|right|Carracks, galleon (center/right), square rigged caravel (below), galley and fusta (galliot) depicted by D. João de Castro on the "Suez Expedition" (part of the Portuguese Armada of 72 ships sent against the Ottoman fleet at anchor in Suez, Egypt, in response to its entry in the Indian Ocean and the siege of Diu in 1538) — Tábuas da India in the João de Castro's Roteiro do Mar Roxo (Routemap of the Red Sea) of 1540–1541.
Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the mid-17th century. Galleons generally carried three or more masts with a lateen fore-and-aft rig on the rear masts, were carvel built with a prominent squared off raised stern, and used square-rigged sail plans on their fore-mast and main-masts.