Excerpt from the
German "Lexikon der Weltgeschichte".
Translated into English July 17, 1994 by: E. Bügge-Wood, Columbus, OH.
Hanse, "The
Hanseatic League", (in Old-High-German: Schar = a medieval guild
(society) of German merchants
abroad), [in the beginning united fellowships of German merchants trading
overseas], especially in Gotland (Visby), in Novgorod, Bruges and the Steel
Yards of London;
a.)
since the 13th century "League of German cities for protection of
common commercial interest on the basis of the East- West-Trade Exchange (wood,
grain, fur, honey etc. from the East;
b.)
herring, especially from Scandinavia;
c.)
cloth, metals, salt, wine from the West or the South;
d.)
from Germany especially beer).
The Hanse is
not a political organization, but rather an administrative partnership,
without a federal constitution, a chief, bureaucracy, military and so on;
1.)
just laxer flexibility, with permanent changing membership;
2.) the "day's statutes" (Hanse Days) are only kept and collected at irregular periods
3.) nevertheless
the Hanse develops into a significant political powerfactor, succeeding to
control, (especially in the struggle against Denmark) the entire Baltic Sea and
essentially contributing to German "Eastern Colonization";
4.)
their most powerful defense is the "trade boycott" ("Verhansung").
In its heyday
(the 14th to the 15th century) membership rose to about 100 cities, from Cracow
to Dinant on the Meuse River with trading posts and offices in all the important
areas of Western and Northeastern Europe.
a.)
in addition to that came the ("Saxon Quarter") with Brunswick
in the lead and the ("Prussian Quarter") with Dantzig.
In the 16th
century, the demise of the Hanse begins, at the end of the 16th century comes
the closing of the Steel Yard in London (by Queen Elizabeth) and the St. Peter's
Steel Yard in Novgorod (by Ivan IV).
The last meeting
of the "Hansa Diet" in 1669 was closed without resolution.
1.)
the superiority of the national states with their mighty navies
(England, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden);
2.)
the loss of large trading areas;
3.)
Dantzig and the Baltic coast, up to the city of Memel fell under Polish
rule;
4.)
Hither Pomerania, Wismar, the Bishopric of Bremen, Estonia and Livonia
fell under Swedish rule;
5.) the Netherlandic coast dissolved partnership with the Imperial administration, Flanders and Brabant were annexed to the Spanish Netherlands;
6.)
the strengthening of the territorial power in Germany (forcing its cities
to break off with the Hanse), failing support from a strong Imperial power;
7.)
and finally, transferring the center of economical power toward the
Atlantic Power (The East Indies Company), the confessional conflict, and the
futility (the 30-year war) in Germany.