The Hanseatic League
(Officially so named only after 1285)
<>1157:London Gildhall established by GERMAN MERCHANTS of COLOGNE
(Köln) [*1901:Keutgen,Friedrich|_Urkunden zur Stadtischen
Verfassungsgeschichte, no. 431 | *1907:Thatcher,Oliver J |_
A Source Book...]
*--Cologne carried on extensive commercial dealings with London. These were more important to Cologne than its relations
with the rural German feudal economy that surrounded Cologne, more important
than its webbing of relationship with regional aristocrats and princes
*--The Cologne gildhall established at this time can be thought of as the beginning of the "international" or "transnational" trade
network later called the Hanseatic League
*--The English king decreed that these foreign commercial representatives should
be treated as if they were subjects of the English king
Henry [II], by the grace of God, etc., ... to his justiciars, sheriffs, and all his officials in England, greeting. I command you to guard, maintain, and protect all the men and citizens of Cologne as if they were my own subjects and friends, and all their goods, merchandise, and possessions. You shall not permit them to suffer any loss or damage in their house in London, which is called their gildhall, or in their goods, or merchandise, or anything else that belongs to them, because they are faithful to me, and they are in my ward and protection. They shall have complete protection, and they shall pay only their customary tolls, and you shall not exact new tolls from them. . . .
<>1200s: Teutonic and Livonian Knights had an influence on events [SAC]
<>1230c:German cities HAMBURG AND LŰBECK form
league [Keutgen, no. 427 | Thatcher]
*--By the 1230s, north Germany had no great feudal prince. Numerous principalities enjoying an expanding
sovereignty. Under these conditions, cities grew in independence from feudal lords, but also formed up their
own associations with one another. The Hanseatic league was the most important consequence of this process
*--The text of the agreement =
To their honorable and beloved friends, the advocate, aldermen, and other citizens of Lübeck, the advocate, aldermen, and the commune of Hamburg, greeting, etc.
We wish you to know that we desire by all means to preserve the mutual love and friendship which have hitherto existed between you and us. We desire that we shall have the same law, so that whenever your citizens come into our city, bringing goods that are unencumbered [that is, about which there is no dispute or suit pending], they may possess and enjoy them in peace and security, in the same way as our citizens. ...
<>1241:German cities LŰBECK AND HAMBURG AGREEMENT FOR MUTUAL PROTECTION [Keutgen, no. 428 | Thatcher] The association was for mutual protection against robbers. The association also sought to protect merchants of the one city when they went to the other
The advocate, council and commune of Lübeck. We have made the following agreement with our dear friends, the citizens of Hamburg*--Other cities joined. The league grew until it was able to conduct a foreign policy, carry on war, and dictate in political matters to the whole north, in relative independence from rural feudal authority
1. If robbers or other depredators attack citizens of either city anywhere from the mouth of the Trave river to Hamburg, or anywhere on the Elbe river, the two cities shall bear the expenses equally in destroying and extirpating them.
2. If anyone who lives outside the city, kills, wounds, beats, or mishandles, without cause, a citizen of either city, the two cities shall bear the expenses equally in punishing the offender. We furthermore agree to share the expenses equally in punishing those who injure their citizens in the neighborhood of their city and those who injure our citizens in the neighborhood of our city.
3. If any of their citizens are injured near our city [Lübeck], they shall ask our officials to punish the offender, and if any of our citizens are injured near their city [Hamburg], they shall ask their officials to punish the offender.
<>1259:LUBECK, ROSTOCK, AND WISMAR PROSCRIBE PIRATES [Keutgen, no. 429 | Thatcher]
To all the faithful subjects of Christ. . . . The communes of Lübeck, Rostock, and Wismar [...] Since most, merchants are not protected on the sea from pirates and robbers, we have, in a common council, decreed, and by this writing declare, that all who rob merchants in churches, in cemeteries, or on the water or on the land, shall be outlawed and proscribed by all cities and merchants. No matter where these robbers go with their booty, whatever city or land receives them shall be held equally guilty with them, and proscribed by all the cities and merchants. ...
<>1260:1264:Northern urban league decrees [Keutgen, no. 430 a | Thatcher]
We wish to inform you of the action taken in support of all merchants who are governed by the law of Lübeck.
- Each city shall, to the best of her ability, keep the sea clear of pirates, so that merchants may freely carry on their business by sea
- Whoever is expelled from one city because of a crime shall not be received in another.
- If a citizen is seized [by pirates, robbers, or bandits] he shall not be ransomed, but his sword-belt and knife shall be sent to him [as a threat to his captors].
- Any merchant ransoming him shall lose all his possessions in all the cities which have the law of Lübeck.
- Whoever is proscribed in one city for robbery or theft shall be proscribed in all.
- If a [rural feudal] lord besieges a city, no one shall aid him in any way to the detriment of the besieged city, unless the besieger is his lord.
- If there is a war in the country, no city shall on that account injure a citizen from the other cities, either in his person or goods, but shall give him protection
- If any man marries a woman in one city, and another woman from some other city comes and proves that he is her lawful husband, he shall be beheaded.
- If a citizen gives his daughter or niece in marriage to a man [from another city], and another man comes and says that she is his lawful wife, but cannot prove it, he shall be beheaded.
This law shall be binding for a year, and after that the cities shall inform each other by letter of what decisions they make.
<>1265:Northern urban league decrees [Keutgen, no. 430 b | Thatcher]
We ought to hold a meeting [of all cities in the league] once a year to legislate about the affairs of the cities.
If pirates appear on the sea, all the cities must contribute their share to the work of destroying them.
<>1270:Novgorod came into alliance with the northern urban league [SAC LOOP on Hanse]
<>1282:London office of Germanic traveling merchants first used the word "Hansa" [association or group] to describe themselves
<>1338:German trading city Magdeburg| THE SCHOEFFEN OF MAGDEBURG ANSWERED NINE QUESTIONS ABOUT URBAN ADMINISTRATION [Altmann und Bernheim, no. 172 | Thatcher]
Glossary of officials involved in Hanse urban life
["city" and "citizen" mentioned but not defined] =
Alderman = Member of the urban governing council [council not described]
Burggrave = Commander of the castle or fortress, representative of royal or regional feudal lord's authority
Burgomaster = Mayor, head of urban administration [administration not described]
Guest = Visitor to the city, usually implies a merchant from another town
Schoeffen = Judges of the urban court [court not described]
Schultheiss = Representative of feudal authority in legal matters (CF=Burggrave)
<>1358:Germanic trade center Lübeck hosted the second Hansetag and the formation of the League
<>1367:1380s; Hanseatic League at its apex [ID]
<>1380:1500; Rise of Mediterranean markets [ID]
<>1500:1503; Events spelled the doom of the Hanseatic League [ID]
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