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Northern European Cog
The cog was a broad-beamed single-masted merchant ship that rose in the North Sea and Baltic in the 12th century, characterized by a flat keel, high …
Timeline
- c. 1150–1180Schleswig-Holstein coast · SchleswigThe cog developed from northern coastal shipbuilding traditions into a broad-beamed, deep-draft, single-masted square-sail cargo ship, with higher sides than earlier longships, suited to long-distance sea transport of bulk grain, timber, and furs.
- 1190Lübeck-Visby route · Hanseatic trade circleIn the 1190s Baltic cargo transport among Hanseatic cities relied heavily on cogs, sailing between ports such as Lübeck, Visby, and Riga, becoming the core carrier of the integrated North Sea-Baltic trade route.
Sources
- The Ship in the Medieval Economy, 600-1600 — Richard W. Unger (1980)
- Medieval Maritime Warfare — Charles D. Stanton (2015)