‘Hanze’ means group, community, company or armed host. In German it means ‘guild’. These meanings applied to the cooperating merchants and cities of the Hanseatic League. They protected each other from robbers and gave each other trading privileges, thus stimulating mutual trade and profit. The Hanseatic League was therefore a strong link between different regions.
Contents
- What was the Hanseatic League?
- How did it come about and why?
- Who were members and what was their interest in this?
- How was the Hanseatic League organized?
- In what and with whom did the Hanseatic League trade?
- What was the end of the Hanseatic League?
- What is the legacy of the Hanseatic League in the 21st century?
What was the Hanseatic League?
The Hanseatic League was an entrepreneurial alliance between cities on the North and Baltic Seas and flourished from the 14th to the 16th century. New technology and skills exchange contributed to the development of the countries with which they traded. The Netherlands and Germany had the most Hanseatic cities; this was the result of their location on the sea and the river network that ran through these countries. Ships from the Hanseatic League came to the Dutch Hanseatic cities to deliver merchandise, from where they were traded, sold, stored or transported to the south.
The Hanseatic League was a powerful alliance. A flourishing trade emerged that led to prosperity and wealth: a trade network that enabled merchants to do business easily and cheaply in Northern Europe . The glory days came to an end in the 16th century. Just as gradually as the Hanseatic League had emerged, its importance also declined.
How did it come about and why?
The Hanseatic League gradually emerged from the need for cooperation and organization. Most trade was done by water, but sea shipping was dangerous due to piracy. This created a need for cooperation and agreements between cities to make shipping on the North and Baltic Seas safer.
The trade alliance was initially only between merchants, but grew into an alliance between cities. Merchants organized themselves in the cities and the cities organized themselves in the Hanseatic League. Cities sought support from each other by working together: costs were reduced because transport was safer and therefore cheaper, and because larger purchases and sales could be made.
Lübeck and Hamburg entered into an alliance in 1241, which Cologne subsequently joined. Other Northern European countries saw how these cities benefited from this collaboration and joined . In this way the Hanseatic League gradually came into being.
The trading office in London was opened in 1282. This was the beginning of the Hanseatic League as it eventually became known. Three more large offices followed: in Belgium , Norway and Russia. They were the extreme points of the Hanseatic League in the north, east, south and west.
The first meeting of the city council was during Pentecost 1356 in Lübeck. In the years that followed, there were more meetings at irregular times. The aim of these meetings was to inform the cities about safe trade routes and to set target prices. Agreements were also made here with which they could jointly enforce privileges. However, the Hanseatic League was never officially founded; it emerged gradually from the need for security and cooperation. This unofficial cooperation is also evident from the irregular moments of meetings between the cities.
Who were members and what was their interest in this?
The membership of the Hanseatic League varied, but at its peak in the 15th century this numbered approximately 200 cities. The largest number of cities were in Germany, the center of the Hanseatic League. Foreign cities joined in. Well-known Hanseatic cities included Lübeck, Bruges, London, Cologne, Gdansk and Novgorod. In the Netherlands, these include Zwolle, Deventer, Nijmegen, Kampen, Elburg, Hattem, Hasselt and Harderwijk.
Because the trading area stretched over a large area from west to east, a wide variety of products were traded. For example, the eastern cities traded hardwoods, beeswax, rye, and animal skins, and the western cities traded garments, fabrics, furniture, and tools. Various types of fish came from the north. In addition, Norwegian warriors were used to maintain safety at sea.
Denmark was not a member of the Hanseatic League and had to watch trade outside of them. The Danish king Waldemar IV therefore threatened the interests of the Hanseatic League. This led to a declaration of war by the Hanseatic League against Denmark. In 1368, Denmark was defeated by the Hanseatic League and Waldemar had to recognize the supremacy of the Hanseatic League.
How was the Hanseatic League organized?
The Hanseatic League was an association of the cities and traders were organized in the cities. The Hanseatic League’s main offices are in Novgorod, Bergen (Norway), London and Bruges; the Belgian office later moved to Antwerp. Novgorod was the first headquarters to close its doors in 1494; London and Antwerp followed much later, in 1598 and 1545 respectively. The office in Mons survived the longest and closed its doors in 1754.
Because the Hanseatic League had spread over a large geographical area, this resulted in a large variety of languages, dialects and means of payment. It was therefore decided to agree on some standards. The Lübian Mark became the standard currency and Middle Low German became the Lingua Franca. Communication between the different Hanseatic cities mainly took place on paper and despite the similarities between the languages, this also caused problems: one and the same word could have a different, contradictory meaning in different regions and therefore caused problems. This created a need for a Lingua Franca, a common language. This became Middle Low German, the spoken language of Northern Germany at the time. This language was the predecessor of today’s German and Dutch (and therefore also Afrikaans), and also influenced the vocabulary of today’s Scandinavian languages. In Norway, the use of Middle Low German also resulted in the replacement of the runic script by the Latin alphabet.
Cities and traders who were members of the Hanseatic League paid a fixed, relatively high contribution. An important reason for this was the financing of military interventions and the fight against dangerous pirates, which entailed many costs.
In what and with whom did the Hanseatic League trade?
The main trade was between Eastern and Western Europe. Novgorod, Tallinn, Lübeck, Hamburg, Bruges and London were important cities due to their geographical location. Goods traded included salt, timber, fish, grain, beer/wine, beeswax and animal skins. Transport mainly took place over the North and Baltic Seas and rivers, which is why most Hanseatic cities were located in Germany and the Netherlands. The Dutch Hanseatic cities have in common that they are located in the IJssel river basin. This was an important shipping route: the river was deep enough for shipping, had a favorable location and was toll-free. The IJssel was therefore an important link between trade from the Baltic and North Seas.
Cities and traders who were not members of the Hanseatic League could not benefit from the success of the alliance. For example, they paid higher prices for trade goods and had to pay tolls where the Hanseatic members had managed to obtain an exemption. Those who went against the Hanseatic League in any way were excluded from trading with the Hanseatic League until they changed their attitude. However, agreements were sometimes also made with these cities. For example, Amsterdam and Zierikzee were part of the Hanseatic League for a while and thus benefited from the trading system. The Hanze was a flexible organization with little formal regulation. On the one hand, this was practical: one could always adapt to the current situation. On the other hand, this loose organization ultimately became the downfall of the Hanseatic League. Conflicts of interest arose in more and more cities because they were also members of other trade organizations. This led to emerging competition with the Hanseatic League. The foundation of the Hanseatic League, namely the common interest of the cities, crumbled as a result.
What was the end of the Hanseatic League?
During the 15th century, the powerful Hanseatic League suffered a decline, mainly as a result of the increasingly powerful Dutch cities. In addition, it was also the southern German cities that claimed a more important place for themselves. The power of princes increased and other trade routes emerged that took the place of the North-Baltic Sea trade. In the 16th century the covenant was no longer relevant and only existed on paper. The Hanseatic League slowly fell apart during this time due to the rise of other trade networks, including the Baltic Sea trade and the VOC. The last Hanseatic meeting took place in 1669; only six cities participated in this meeting. Most cities, including Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen, have always continued to call themselves Hanseatic cities.
It was partly due to the success of Dutch overseas trade that the Hanseatic League lost its relevance, and therefore its power. Arnout van Cruyningen writes about this in his book ‘The Hanseatic League, the first European trading power’.
What is the legacy of the Hanseatic League in the 21st century?
The Hanseatic League has left its mark in all Hanseatic cities. Abroad it is mainly known as the German Hanseatic League, because it originated in Germany and this country has played a central role in the entire history of the Hanseatic League. It is also important that the German city of Lübeck has always been the most important Hanseatic city.
Today’s Hanseatic cities are a legacy of this trading alliance. These cities now generate income from tourism, both from day-trippers and people who stay in one or more of these cities for a longer period of time: international tourists sometimes come especially for these cities. The cities often have a certain atmosphere and architectural style, and often have a lively center. Some of these cities are still important trading cities. All this makes the cities so attractive to tourists.
The long-term use of a common language has also left its mark. German and Dutch emerged as separate languages from Middle Low German. Afrikaans, as a daughter language of Dutch, is also derived from this language. In addition, the vocabulary of the Scandinavian languages is derived from this common language. In Norway, the use of the language also led to the replacement of the runic script by the Latin alphabet.
Although the languages are not mutually understandable, the many similarities make it easy to learn these languages if you speak one of the other languages .