Seaport Life in Europe During the Age of Exploration

Some men who lived in European seaports during the Age of Exploration (1492-1620) earned their living as fishermen, while others went on trading voyages.

These voyages sometimes lasted over a year, and took them as far as the Indian Ocean and the Americas.

Because there were a large number of men away at sea, women in seaports developed a strong presence in the local community. Women took on such roles as shopkeeper, trader and financier - positions not commonly held by women in the rest of Europe.

Fishing was a hazardous occupation. Fishermen sought the best fish in the harsh waters of the North Sea and Iceland, and in the iceberg-laden waters of Newfoundland's Grand Banks.

Fishing ship crews received a portion of the catch as payment for their work.

When ships arrived at the ports, middlemen there would arrange for the shipments to be carried onward to cities such as Paris or London.

In large ports, such as Bristol, onward shipment was controlled by a large merchant elite. Many members of this class owned ships and were also investors.

Porters had the job of loading the ships, while ship's supplies - maps, ropes, clothing, tools, food, etc. - came from various sources.

Government officials in seaport towns had many functions, which included regulated traffic, ensuring that customs regulations were enforced, checking traveled documents, estimating the value of shipments and preventing the shipment of illegal goods.

Ports were usually confined within their medieval walls. They varied greatly in size. London, for example, is estimated to have had a population of about 250,000 people at the end of the 16th century. Other important ports included Venice and Genoa in Italy, Seville in Spain, Lisbon in Portugal and Lübeck and Hamburg in Germany.