History of lighthouses > Middle Ages
After the fall of the Roman realm a controlling power was missing at most European coasts. While the Mediterranean area was controlled now primarily by the Arab world, which manufactured commercial contacts to Asia, fear and fright prevailed at the remaining coasts particularly due to the feared Normannen. The coastal villages saw themselves suspended to plunderings and plundering by pirates. Nobody came more on the idea to ignite a beacon: The aggressors came usually of the lake, a fire it would have attracted.
Were finally monks, which saw an God-obliging/pleasing task in the enterprise of sea-fires and the warning of the navigation. One of the first warning fires is to have ignited the holy Dubhan around 460 n.Chr at the Irish Hook Head. Also Karl the large one ignited beacons, among other things on still from the Roman time originating the towers La Coruna and Boulogne.
It is to be owed to the influence of the church that itself conditions on the seas to end of the 11. Century and Piraterie and the “law of wreckage” (Jus naufragii) normalized halfway under church punishment were placed. In many places offshore monasteries and villages began with the establishment of fires, in order to help the peaceful navigation. Above all the archbishop of Canterbury made itself in 12. Century around the sea-going vessel travel earns, when it brought a society of Gläubigen into being, the navigation marks for the orientation of the sailors to set up should (out this came out 1514 the “house of the three-agreement”, which represents the English navigation authority as Trinity House also today still). Maritime law regulations and salvage rights were regulated soon thereafter also by lay powers. First admitted lighthouses from this epoch originate from the second half 12. Century: On the rock island Meloria (1158) and the Cap Peloro (approx. 1190) in Italy as well as at the Irish Hook Head already mentioned, where around 1172 a first solid tower was built - in the rest of today still as lighthouse is active!
Starting from that 12. Century experienced the navigation in the Mediterranean area a first upswing, starting from that 13. Century came also under relevant participation of the German Hanse the maritime trade in the northEuropean area gradually on. Important points of commercial envelope between north and south Europe became thereby the ports of Brügge (Flanders) and Lisbon (Portugal). Gradually active trade developed along the North Sea and Atlantic coast, which by the Skagerak and Kattegat into the Baltic Sea area extended. The economic interests were the center of attention with now the rapidly taking place ignition of new beacons therefore, and above all the Hanseatic cities were awake exactly over the maintenance of their fires:
The Lübecker built 1222 in Falsterbo at the southwest point of Sweden a first Feuerturm, it followed shortly thereafter the tower in Travemünde (1226). Also different Hanseatic cities established and maintained beacons, so for instance to Wismar (1266 on the island Lieps), Hamburg (1286 on new work), Stralsund (1306 on the island Hiddensee), Rostock (1348 in warn-flow) and Danzig (1482 in Weichselmünde and Hela). At the Swedish coast the Danes built again for wood fire in Nidingen and Kullen (1230). At almost all also today still beacon, the original buildings stands for these locations is however no longer present.
The building of beacons was operated intensively also at the rising commercial route along the flandrischen coast. From the years 1280-1290 is not delivered only the building today still existing route de Guet in Calais [F], but also the establishment of scaffoldings with open fire in Brielle [NL] and Nieuwpoort [B] admits, which were replaced later however both by stone towers. Further beacons developed for France (Dieppe, Cordouan among other things in the coming decades in England (Hunstanton, 1270, pc. Catherine´s, approx. 1320), (1360)) and Italy ((Magnale (1304), Venice (1312), Genova (1326)).
With all beacons mentioned it concerned mostly large wood fires, which were ignited either on heaps of stone, on particularly built stone towers or up to 30 m high timber beam stands, in order to achieve a larger consequence of the light. Pretty often fortresses or church towers also existing were used, to which a “fire basket” was fastened. In individual cases the speech was, but might the range of the light light have been quite modest also from “candles” or oil lamps. More impressively coal fires were there already, those in England starting from that 9. Century, in Germany isolates 12 starting from that. Century admits was.
Starting from center 14. Century becomes also clear the meaning of the Dutch flandrischen coast for the trading vessel travel thereby that until 1467 at least twelve further beacons on stone or wood towers between Dünkirchen (Dunkerque) and Terschelling are furnished here. The first beacon chain of the world developed, even if the range of the light, which was often produced by the burn by reed, did not reach reliably from a fire to the next. But such a density at beacons was at this time world-wide singular, in the rest of Europe stood anonsten only punctually beacons.
Some few buildings, which were built in the Middle Ages (approximate until 1500) as lighthouses, to have itself until today received can - of it even some still in the active service: