Map of Hansa trade cities
"The Hansa was a trading alliance between several European cities in the 13th to 17th centuries. Hamburg and Luebeck were the first cities to create a merchant association in the 12th century. Luebeck had fish and transportation, but Hamburg had the salt to preserve it. Their idea gave other cities something to follow and thus becoming the Hanseatic League"
Hanse Internals
- Merchant associations not just league or cities.
- Trade was very dangerous and risky so they decided to band together to travel.
- For water travel they used ships called cogs
- Largest cogs could carry up to 200 tons worth of goods
- Cities consisted of sea faring merchants and trade houses.
Hanse Facts
- Hanse was found in the 12th century
- Located on the Baltic sea
- Basic trade routes between Hamburg and Luebeck
- Fishing, salt cultivation, and woolen fabrics were popular trade goods.
Bruges
- Bruges is the capital and the largest city in the province of Belgium. The important historical landmarks there are:
- The Groeningmuseum
The museum highlights many collections of art and works done by Renaissance artists. Many works are from the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The Beguinage
http://www.discoverflanders.com/beguinageofbruges.asp
Beguinage is a french term that refers to a semi-monastic community of women. These were religious women who sought out to serve god.
Trade
- Main exports:
- Fur/Hides
- Meat
- Butter
- Dried Fish
- Tar
- Seed rye
- Main Imports:
- Salts
- Clothes
- Metals
- Wines
Trust and Truth
A big deal during the Hansa time was the trust that was required in their line of work. Many deals were not done with written contracts or anything like that. The most important thing when dealing with each other was trust. If someone says that they have the money to pay for something that meant that they DID have it.
Fall of the Hanseatic League
Timeline
- 1386 Lithuania and Poland unite
- 1397 Denmark, Norway, and Sweden unite
- 1494 "Ivan III of Moscow closed Hanseatic trading settlement at Novgorod
- 15th century, Dutch grew in industrial strength
- Were able to drive German traders out of Dutch markets
- 16th century, Hanseatic League was very week
- Assigned Heinrich Sudermann as a permanent official to fix internal issues
- End of 16th century, remained weak
- The Hanseatic League eventually fell due to a lack of centralized power, they could not withstand the influence of the more powerful nation-states.
