Thalassokratien im Mittelalter

Thalassocracy refers to the exercise of power over sea areas, that is, the political structure of maritime societies. But did it even exist in the Middle Ages? According to today's historical perspective, a maritime-influenced era actually begins only at the end of the Middle Ages, following the Mediterranean antiquity. But where does the Middle Ages fit in? Were there maritime societies that developed original forms of power organization? Were there maritime-oriented actors on land and along the coasts who aspired to or were attributed power over the sea? The contributions gathered here focus on maritime communities of the Mediterranean, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea, and analyze specific forms of action that can be described as 'thalassocratic' because they aimed to assert or enforce political, economic, and/or military interests through maritime means.