History Main / SlaveGalley

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Primal}}'': In the season 2 ''The Colossaeus'' three-parter, the titular Colossaeus is a [[MileLongShip gigantic warship]] whose oars are pulled by an enslaved race of giants. The Colossaeus's queen spared one, the only one who fought back when her soldiers invaded their pacifistic village, to be a {{battle thrall}} instead. When he rebels, he frees all the oarsmen, and inspired by his example they [[CurbStompBattle soon demonstrate]] the only thing keeping them in chains was their own aversion to fighting back.

-->'''Buster''': Faster! Cheaper! Cheaper! Faster!

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/BenHur1959 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b8a019f2bc231c12ccd53249e752065e.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Row well, and live."'']]

* ''Literature/TheShipOfIshtar'': The eponymous ship is crewed by Galley Slaves in the ''alla scaloccio'' type arrangement, with two guys on each oar. AdventurerArchaeologist John Kenton, having been magically transported onto the ship from the 1920s, is MadeASlave and put to work there. His rowing partner is a big warm-hearted Viking called Sigurd. When John takes a whipping meant for Sigurd, Sigurd swears [[BloodBrothers Blood Brothership]] with him. Far from dying for him, Sigurd helps John and two other allies plan and execute a mutiny.

* ''Series/UpPompeii'': The main character has a HaveWeMet moment with another slave. He doesn't recognize the other guy at first, and the other guy only realizes when he sees the back of his head. He sat behind him in the galley, so that's all he saw of him for all those years, but he would recognize the back of that bonce ''anywhere'' after that.

* ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'':

* ''Literature/TheCurseOfChalion'': Cazaril's backstory is revealed to contain two life-changing experiences/epiphanies during his 19 months as a rower on a Slave Galley (three if you count the circumstances of him ending up on there to begin with). He also fits the ScaryBlackMan slot[[note]](more scrawny, sunburned, stinking, and shaggy than anything; but scary enough)[[/note]] noted in the description insofar as a 'boy from a good family' dumped next to him was concerned. Greeting him as one would a lad sharing a tavern bench, sharing his water ration, teaching him, and in the end earning a near-fatal flogging defending him from a rapist.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Discussed in ''Literature/{{Eric}}''. When Rincewind and Eric are transported back to the time of the [[Literature/TheIliad Tsortean War]] and taken captive by the Tsorteans as enemy spies, the interrogator threatens to put them as rowers on a trireme. He says that if they cooperate, he can put in a good word so that they get to be on the top deck.[[note]]In RealLife, rowing at the bottom deck of a trireme was actually preferable; the oars necessarily got longer the higher the deck, meaning that more force was required.[[/note]] Later, he tells them that if they're trying to trick him, there is such a thing as quinquiremes.

This drama makes slave galleys one of the rare UsefulNotes/TypesOfNavalShips that occurs in media often enough to have its own trope, but historically, this trope is NewerThanTheyThink and belongs in the realm of BrieferThanTheyThink. The heyday of the slave galley lasted only for some 70 years - from the beginning of the 16th century to the UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto (1571). Galley slaves were introduced only during the Renaissance (16th century) as cannons became the main weapon of galleys instead of ramming and boarding and less skill was required for rowers. Slave galleys were uncommon in the ancient world for various reasons[[note]](see [[Analysis/SlaveGalley analysis page]] for details)[[/note]], making this trope an example of ArtisticLicenseHistory. Some nations, such as Venice, never adopted galley slavery. Some, like Sweden and Russia, used [[{{conscription}} conscript soldiers]] for galley crews.

* The galley was obsolete as a deep-water warship already in the end of 16th century, as sailing ships could carry far more cannons. The main reason why they were built after that date was purely penal: Their actual reason for existence was to be floating prisons and [[PrisonersWork forced labour institutions]].

* ''Literature/TimeMachineSeries'': In ''The Mystery of Atlantis'', the hero can end up as a galley slave at one point. Being a time-traveller, he simply time travels out of there while everyone are hanging their heads down out of fatigue.

* ''Film/{{Ben Hur|1959}}'' (1959) was the first film [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax7wcShvrus to popularize this trope.]] The title character spent a few years on a Roman slave galley.

This drama makes slave galleys one of the rare UsefulNotes/TypesOfNavalShips that occurs in media often enough to have it's own trope, but historically, this trope is NewerThanTheyThink and belongs in the realm of BrieferThanTheyThink. The heyday of the slave galley lasted only for some 70 years - from the beginning of the 16th century to the UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto (1571). Galley slaves were introduced only during the Renaissance (16th century) as cannons became the main weapon of galleys instead of ramming and boarding and less skill was required for rowers. Slave galleys were uncommon in the ancient world for various reasons[[note]](see [[Analysis/SlaveGalley analysis page]] for details)[[/note]], making this trope an example of ArtisticLicenseHistory. Some nations, such as Venice, never adopted galley slavery. Some, like Sweden and Russia, used [[{{conscription}} conscript soldiers]] for galley crews.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Discussed in ''Literature/{{Eric}}''. When Rincewind and Eric are transported back to the time of the [[Literature/TheIliad Tsortean War]] and taken captive by the Tsorteans as enemy spies, the interrogator threatens to put them as rowers on a trireme. He says that if they cooperate, he can put in a good word so that they get to be on the top deck.[[note]]In RealLife, rowing at the bottom deck of a trireme was actually preferable; the oars necessarily got longer the higher the deck, meaning that more force was required.[[/note]] Later, he tells them that if they're trying to trick him, there is such a thing as [[UpToEleven quinquiremes]].

Historically, this trope is NewerThanTheyThink and belongs in the realm of BrieferThanTheyThink. The heyday of the slave galley lasted only for some 70 years - from the beginning of the 16th century to the UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto (1571). Galley slaves were introduced only during the Renaissance (16th century) as cannons became the main weapon of galleys instead of ramming and boarding and less skill was required for rowers. Slave galleys were uncommon in the ancient world for various reasons[[note]](see [[Analysis/SlaveGalley analysis page]] for details)[[/note]], making this trope an example of ArtisticLicenseHistory. Some nations, such as Venice, never adopted galley slavery. Some, like Sweden and Russia, used [[{{conscription}} conscript soldiers]] for galley crews.

A staple of the SwordAndSandal and Fantasy genres, [[TropeCodifier firmly established]] by the film ''Film/BenHur1959''. The hero is [[MadeASlave enslaved]] and forced to work as a galley rower, while [[WorkingOnTheChainGang chained to his fellows]]. Necessary embellishments include:

[[caption-width-right:350:Row, row, row our boat.]]

* In ''Literature/LesMiserables'', the main character is referred to as a galley slave ("galérien"), as was typical at the time, even though by that point the prisoners were no longer allowed to serve as actual galley slaves. However some translations seem to be slightly confused by this and have Valjean as an actual galley slave, as do some of the films. Valjean and those like him were more like enslaved dock workers/manual laborers.

* The galley was obsolete as a deep-water warship already in the end of 16th century, as sailing ships could carry far more cannons. The main reason why they were built after that date was purely penal: Their actual reason for existence was to be floating prisons and forced labour institutions.

* ''Literature/TheToughGuideToFantasyland'': Discussed at length, where most of the embellishments noted on this page are also pointed out. Jones also notes that, since these galleys only ever seem to contain rows of chained-up slaves and nothing in the way of merchandise or soldiers (and for that matter often lack a clear reason for their voyage) it's a bit difficult to understand why people keep building them.