THE papers in this volume address again and again the problem of writing a history of navies, of naval power, of violence at sea in medieval Europe. The idea that there should be such a history is not an old one. In the Middle Ages very few people took up the issue. Typically historians in the last two centuries have ignored the Middle Ages in histories of sea power. While recently there is more recognition of the years between the fall of the Roman Empire and the seventeenth century in works on naval history the period still receives cursory treatment. The handbook for courses in naval history by Clark Reynolds is an excellent example of both the recognition of the Middle Ages as a time when naval power could be an issue and the relative insignificance of the topic compared to the years from the seventeenth century on. Some historians of the Middle Ages have long argued for an important role for the sea in the cultural and economic changes of the period. Such studies have had little impact on the discussion of naval history and also limited effect on the general discussion of the history of medieval Europe.

The goal of this volume is not to carry out the all too normal task of historians of filling in a gap left by earlier research and writing.