Table of Contents
How long did galley slaves live?
Well, they didn’t die out until late in the reign of Louis XIV, in the early 1700s. A century and a half before, the King of France decreed that all galley prisoners would serve at least ten years. Surviving for ten years in a galley was no mean trick. Galley slaves were branded with the letters G-A-L.
Were slaves used to row ships?
The practice of using slaves to row galleys in the Mediterranean has a long history – spanning some two thousand years. While the Ancient Greeks and Romans usually preferred to use free rowers in their fighting ships – despite the popular image of the galley from the movie Ben-Hur – they did on occasion use slaves.
What were the galleys in France?
Since the 15th century, French prisoners had been sentenced to serve on the galleys, sometimes even for minor crimes. The galleys were long, narrow craft with cannon mounted on the bow and a high, ornamentally-decorated deck at the stern. Unlike sailing ships, they could operate when there was no wind.
How fast can a galley travel?
The estimated average speed of Renaissance-era galleys was fairly low, only 3 to 4 knots, and a mere 2 knots when holding formation. Short bursts of up to 7 knots were possible for about 20 minutes, but only at the risk of exhausting rowers.
What did galley slaves do?
A galley slave is a slave rowing in a galley, either a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar (French: galérien), or a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to the duty of rowing.
How long was a galley ship?
Galley of Flanders
| Dimension | Venetian measures | U.S. feet |
|---|---|---|
| Length on the deck | 23 paces, 3.5 feet | 121.06 |
| Breadth | 17.5 feet | 20.11 |
| Height | 7 feet, 10 inches | 9.0 |
How bad are French prisons?
French prisons are overflowing and the penitentiary personnel is understaffed. In 2003 the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), an organ of the European Council reported “inhumane and degrading treatment” in French prisons.
How were galley slaves treated?
Conditions were brutal and it was not uncommon for galley slaves to die on voyages from exhaustion. Slaves were kept bound to their stations and were fed poorly. Slaves who mistimed their strokes were caned by overseers.
What is ship galley?
galley, large seagoing vessel propelled primarily by oars. References to even more banks (for example, the quinquireme) are believed to indicate a ship of very large size but with no more than two or three banks of oars.