Northern lights: medieval construction in Scandinavia and the Baltic

The Baltic region remains a relatively unstudied subject for medieval architectural historians. The history is dominated by three periods – the Golden Age of the Vikings, the Prussian Crusades and the Hanseatic League, all of which fall neatly in sequence. So to does the use of building materials. The Vikings were masters of timber construction, whether it be boats, churches or domestic structures. The spread of their empire post 800AD gave them access to ever bigger and stronger trees, especially Irish oak. Stone is relatively little used before c.1000, partly due to the hardness of Baltic granites etc. Even when the Vikings adopted Christianity, most of their churches were timber. The emerging Kingdom of Denmark saw the first large cathedrals in stone, emulating the buildings of Germany, Italy and England. But as Imperial and trading competition moved eastwards, brick became the order of the day. The Prussian Crusades witnessed an explosion in brick castle construction, while the new cities and trading posts competed for splendid public buildings, extraordinary churches and houses that are simply showing off! Brick building dominates the medieval Baltic region and is synonymous with the towns of the Hanseatic League. The League’s dominance of Northern European trade poured money into bourgeois hands, which in turn, was spent lavishly on their churches etc.

This course will track the medieval architecture of the Baltic by period and building materials, with more than a passing reference to the politics, warring and artistic production of this fascinating region.