The first known hemp rope was found in Czechoslovakia in 1997 and dated from 26,900 B.C. ! In 1492 : 80 tons of hemp sails and rope helped bring Christopher Columbus’ ships to America. The plant was a barter commodity in all of America’s early colonies. It was mostly used by the Navy !

17th and 18th century : the European powers battled for nautical supremacy. Hemp was vital for sails, rigging (rope, cables, ladders, lanyards) and fishing lines. Officially created by Henri II in 1547, the French Royal Navy became as important as the Danish, English and Spanish flotillas during the reign of Louis XIV (1653). Richelieu and then Colbert brought hemp cultivation to an industrial stage by creating a cord factory in Rochefort-sur-Mer : an average-sized ship required 80 tons of hemp for its rigging and 9 tons for its sails.

During Napoleon’s time, the continental blocade (1806) put England in danger. So the country could get the hemp it needed for ship sails and rigging, France opened the Baltic ports (this engendered, among other events, the fire of Copenhagen) but Napolean demanded that Russia’s Tzar pay subsidies to be able to ship his country’s hemp to England. The Hemp War and the Treaty of Tilsit was a financial disaster for Russia !