CALL FOR PAPERS

The Baltic Sea and Global Currents: 400 Years After the Battle of Oliwa

Maritime Expansion, Domination, and Water Spaces in a Globalizing World

Dates: 9-11 September 2026

Venue: University of Gdańsk, Poland

We are pleased to invite scholars and researchers to submit proposals for the upcoming conference commemorating the Battle of Oliwa (1627). The battle, which took place on November 28, 1627 during the Polish-Swedish War (1626–1629), was the greatest victory of the Polish fleet in the 17th century, as it broke the Swedish blockade of Gdansk. It was a decisive naval battle that highlighted the growing maritime ambitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This victory had far-reaching consequences, not only for the Baltic region, but also as part of a larger narrative of early modern maritime history. The conference not only focuses on the battle itself, but aims to broaden the perspective by examining maritime expansion and domination from a different angle, namely maritime history and water spaces as sites of cultural, ecological and geopolitical interaction. This conference invites a broader interdisciplinary dialog on oceans and water spaces and their role in shaping societies, identities and environments throughout history.

We welcome individual papers and panels (3–4 speakers) on the following topics from the late Middle Ages until the late XVIII century, but not limited to:

The Battle of Oliwa: history and heritage

● Naval strategy, leadership and innovation in 17th century warfare.

● The geopolitical consequences of the Polish-Swedish War and its impact on maritime supremacy in the Baltic.

● Other important naval battles in the 17th century

Material culture: ships, wracks, ports and maritime technology

● Ship design and construction

● Port infrastructure and logistics

● Naval technology, navigation tools, and advancements in ship maneuverability.

Professional seafaring culture - people on board ships and vessels

● Recruitment and social background of ship crews

● Social relationships between commanders, captains and crews

● Conditions of everyday life on board a ship

● Medical assistance - ship's surgeon

● Entertainment at sea, shanties and dice

Water spaces as places of interaction and conflict

● The political, economic and cultural significance of maritime zones in global history.

● Water spaces as contested territories: Piracy, privateering and sea power.

● Maritime expansion and its links to empire building, colonization and global trade networks.

Maritime expansion, domination and colonization

● The role of sea power in the formulation of imperial ambitions and colonial rule.

● Comparative studies of maritime powers (e.g. Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) and their approaches to maritime expansion.

● How maritime expansion facilitated the exchange of goods, cultures and ideologies, and the associated inequalities and exploitation.

● The environmental and social consequences of colonial maritime networks, including the exploitation of labor and resource extraction.

Maritime environmental perspectives

● Historical and modern perspectives on the environmental impact of maritime activities.

● The sea as a natural and cultural landscape: how communities have interacted with and conceptualized water spaces.

● Oceans and climate: historical and contemporary challenges in the management of water spaces.

Cultural and symbolic legacies of maritime spaces

● Representations of naval battles and oceans in art and literature.

● Collective memory on maritime victories.

● The symbolic role of oceans and water across different cultures and traditions.

Interdisciplinary, comparative and digital studies of oceans and Water Spaces: new approaches

● Maritime networks

● Comparative studies of maritime conflicts and societies on the water across time and regions.

Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and include the title, author(s), institutional affiliation(s), and a short biography (up to 150 words). Submissions that adopt interdisciplinary and global approaches are particularly encouraged.

Please submit your abstracts to October 31, 2025 by: OliwaBattle400@gmail.com

Acceptance letters will be sent by November 28, 2025

The organizers plan a collective publication with an internationally recognized publisher.

Organizers:

Beata Możejko: Faculty of History, University of Gdańsk, Director of the Memling Research Center

Agata Błoch: Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences

Partners:

Castle Museum in Malbork

CHAM – Centre for the Humanities, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Museum of Gdańsk

National Museum in Gdańsk

Navy Museum in Gdynia

Register fee: 100 euro

Student fee: 70 euro