Search
Search Results
Definition
Carrack
The carrack (nao in Spanish, nau in Portuguese, and nef in French) was a type of large sailing vessel used for exploration, to carry cargo and as a warship in the 15th and 16th centuries. Famous carracks include the Santa Maria of Christopher...
Definition
Mary Rose
The Mary Rose was a carrack warship built for the Royal Navy of Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE). The ship infamously sank in the Solent off the south coast of England on 19 July 1545 CE, probably because water entered its open gun...
Article
The Capture of the Treasure Ship Madre de Deus
The treasure ship Madre de Deus (aka Madre de Dios) was a Portuguese vessel carrying hugely valuable cargo from the East Indies which was attacked and captured by a fleet of English privateers in the Azores in September 1592 CE. The ship...
Image
Portuguese Carrack Ships
A mid-16th century painting of Portuguese carrack ships. Carrack and caravel ships were the mainstay of the Portuguese Empire, permitting the Portuguese to dominate the seas and bring precious cargo like spices back to Europe. (Royal Museums...
Image
Portuguese Carrack
An illustration of a Portuguese carrack ship from a 16th-century map. (Digital Library, University of Minnesota)
Image
A Carrack Ship by Bruegel
A detail of a c. 1558 CE painting by Pieter Bruegel showing a carrack ship, the type of vessel used by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 16th century CE to transport treasure and precious cargo from the New World and Asia to Europe.
Image
The Carrack Jesus of Lubeck
An illustration of the carrack Jesus of Lubeck, used by John Hawkins (1532-1595 CE) to transport slaves from West Africa to the Americas in the 1560s CE. Anthony Roll, 1546 CE. (British Library, London)
Image
The Portuguese in Japan
A Japanese painted screen by Kanō Naizen showing a Portuguese carrack ship and traders. The Portuguese controlled the trading port of Nagasaki from c. 1571 to 1639. (Kobe City Museum, Japan)
Image
Portuguese Ship at Nagasaki
A detail from a Japanese painted screen showing a Portuguese carrack at the port of Nagasaki, a Portuguese trading post from c. 1571 to 1639. Screen painted by Kanō Naizen. (Kobe City Museum, Japan)
Image
Madre de Deus Model
A model of the Portuguese carrack Madre de Deus (aka Madre de Dios) which was a treasure ship captured by Engish privateers in the Azores in September 1592 CE. The ship, laden with treasure from the East Indies, was the richest prize ever...