1295: The Year of the Galleys

Supported by diverse textual and archaeological evidence, a detailed reconstruction of Edward I’s shipbuilding programme of 1295.With the looming threat of an imminent French invasion, Edward I wrote to 26 English ports in November 1294 and told each of them to build, or help others to build, ‘a good and beautiful galley of 120 oars’. Galleys were among the most powerful naval vessels of their day, and Edward wanted them for his wars with France and Scotland.This new study, the culmination of years of research by naval historian Ian Friel, comprehensively reconstructs Edward I’s navy: how these ships were built, manned and fought. Drawing together insights from financial accounts, terrestrial and maritime archaeology, studies of human remains, placenames and topography, 1295: The Year of the Galleys reveals the workings of a medieval naval programme in unprecedented detail, focussing closely on the individual galleys and the towns that built them.With perspectives from each of the towns involved, supported by black and white maps and a colour plate section, this detailed reconstruction brings Edward’s navy – and the working people of thirteenth-century coastal England – to life.