Hanseatic League is a commercial and political alliance formed between cities in northern Germany. The word Hanse means "office" or "guild hall" in German. /kloc-was gradually formed in the 3rd century, and flourished in the 4th century, with at most 160 participating cities. 1367 A leading organization headed by Lubeck City was established, with the participation of wealthy businessmen and nobles from big cities such as Hamburg, Cologne and Bremen. Armed to the teeth 1370, defeated Denmark and concluded the Lacon Treaty. The alliance monopolized the trade in the Baltic region, and established commercial stations in the coastal areas from London in the west to Novgorod in the east, with strong strength. 15th century decline, 1669 disintegration.

The nature of Hanseatic League: the commercial and political alliance between cities. Formation time:13rd century. Number of cities gradually formed to join: 65,438+060 at most. Disintegration time: 65,438+0669. Capital: Brief introduction of arms and treasury, establishment, Hanseatic League, peak, decline and extinction, member list, Hanseatic League cities, alliance businessmen. The original meaning of the Germanic word hansa, which corresponds to Hansa, is "group". The alliance was established on 1356. At its peak, it connected more than 160 cities, with its center in Lubeck. 1669 disintegrated. Schematic diagram of the influence of the Hanseatic League Since the12nd century, northern German businessmen have organized the Hanseatic League in Cologne and Hamburg in order to trade with Britain and Flanders. From the middle of12nd century to the middle of13rd century, the trade in the Rhine valley of Germany was active, and the focus of foreign trade gradually expanded to the Baltic Sea region (see color map). 65438+In the 1980s, various merchant organizations in the Rhine region cooperated with each other to safeguard the interests of their peers, and formed alliances with northern German cities such as Lubeck, which controlled Baltic trade, to guard against bandits and pirates and ensure trade safety. The Hanseatic League first appeared in 1344, which was originally a privileged business alliance. From 65438 to 0356, the merchant Hanseatic developed into a city, including most coastal cities in northern Germany, with Lubeck, Hamburg and Bremen as the core, followed by Cologne, Danzig and Koenigsberg. 1358, cities such as Riga on the east coast of the Baltic Sea also joined the Hanseatic League. The alliance monopolized the intermediary trade between eastern Europe, northern Europe and western Europe. Alliance merchants also deal in oriental products, such as spices and precious textiles, through Italian businessmen. 1367, representatives of 77 cities attended the first meeting in cologne. The League has a Supreme Council and a Supreme Court, and the cities that join the League must abide by the decisions of the power organs of the League. Every city has public finance and navy, and has the right to conduct diplomacy, declare war, make peace and conclude treaties. 1368 to 1370, the Hanseatic League combined fleet defeated Denmark and forced Denmark to sign the Lacon Peace Treaty. The signing of this peace treaty gave the Hanseatic League the nature of a Nordic political alliance, and expanded the Hanseatic League's control over the Baltic and North Seas and Scandinavian politics. The Hanseatic League entered its heyday, with more than 160 allied cities. The alliance enjoys commercial concessions in various places, with commercial stations in London, Novgorod, Bruges and Bergen. The political power of allied cities is controlled by urban nobles and big businessmen. From the end of 14 to the beginning of 15, there was a guild uprising, but it was suppressed. The organization of the alliance is relatively loose, and there is neither a charter nor a written system and executive body. The Hanseatic League Lubeck Holstein Gate/KLOC-After the middle of the 5th century, Lithuania and Poland gradually became stronger after the alliance because of the growing industry and commerce in Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden (see the Grand Duchy of Lithuania). After the conquest of Novgorod by Moscow Principality, the Hanseatic Trade Station in the city was closed, especially the opening of new air routes, which led to the transfer of the commercial center and the loss of the Hanseatic League. Within Germany, the rising status of Brandenburg and Prussia further weakened the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League held its last meeting in Lubeck on 1669, with only six cities participating. Since then, the alliance has disintegrated. Before the establishment of Hanseatic League, Germany had two free market alliances-Rhine League and Schwaben League. Cities in the Rhine Valley formed an alliance with cities in Schwaben to defend local nobles from caravans and robbers. Soon, this city alliance developed into a mutually beneficial means. Member cities gave up collecting waterway and land tolls and settled their disputes through coordination. This kind of urban alliance is one of the manifestations of the political and economic awakening and influence of German citizens. However, the Rheinland Union and Svalbard Union were dissolved in the14th century. The origin of Hanseatic League in Rhine business circle can be traced back to12nd century. Cologne (k? Ln), Lubeck (Lübek), Hamburg and Bremen successively inherited the trade relations between Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Anglo-Saxon countries and Ireland before the Norman Conquest due to their convenient geographical location. Cologne businessmen obtained the privilege of trading in Britain and establishing overseas residences, and generously paid the ransom for Richard Lion's Heart, thus obtaining the tax-free concession in Britain. Since then, the king of England who succeeded to the throne has granted similar privileges to the merchants in Lubeck and Hamburg, and the merchants in these cities formed an early business alliance in Britain. 1158/1159 Henry, the lion of Herzogtum Von Sachsen, seized Lubeck city from the Duke of Shrevesh-Hollstein. Through this occupation, the economically prosperous kingdom of Saxony opened the passage to the Baltic Sea. Businessmen in Lower Germany soon took this as a base and extended their business activities to the whole Baltic region. Businessmen from Lubeck soon set up commercial stations in the Swedish city of Visby and the Russian city of Helmgard, and took control of the business in Riga on 1299. As the world's largest merchant ship "Lubeck Eagle" owned by Hanseatic League has the same race and the same interests, foreign German merchant groups tend to unite and form a closer alliance to reduce competition. 12 10, Lubeck and Hamburg agreed to use the same civil law and criminal law in some matters to protect each other's businessmen in this city, which can be regarded as the beginning of the Hanseatic League. 124 1 year, the two cities formed a formal alliance to protect their businessmen from robbers and pirates. 1259, Lubeck, Rostock and Wisma formed a similar alliance to suppress pirates. By 1282, when the Hanseatic League in London and Bruges merged with the Hanseatic League in Lubeck and Hamburg into a single cooperative group, the Hanseatic League had been formed as far as the four major commercial cities in North Germany were concerned. /kloc-The word "Hanseatic" by Lisa von Lubeck, a Hanseatic merchant ship restored in 0/999, comes from the Gothic word "army" or "company". In German, the original meaning is "piling up like a mountain", which first refers to trade associations or guilds, and then refers to German merchant groups abroad. Before14th century, "Hanseatic" was only used to refer to the German groups in London and Bruges, such as "Hanseatic in Cologne" and "Hanseatic in Hamburg", and it was also used to collectively refer to the business of merchants in northern Germany, and the merchant Hanseatic evolved into a city Hanseatic. 1293, at the repeated request of Lubeck, businessmen from mecklenburg and Pomerania held a congress in Rostock, and decided that all cases related to them would be solved according to the laws of Lubeck in the future. Twenty-six cities voted for the resolution. Lubeck became the headquarters of Hanseatic League, and Lubeck Law became the same law of the League. Hanseatic League After the establishment of Hanseatic League, its purpose quickly changed from suppressing pirates, cracking down on looting and abolishing unreasonable tolls to expanding commercial power overseas, monopolizing commercial interests and suppressing commercial competition from German cities outside the alliance and from Britain, Russia and Flanders. By 1300, all German Ports cities along the Baltic Sea had joined the Hanseatic League, from Bremen at the mouth of the Weize River to Danzig at the mouth of the Weise River. Towns in Prussia and Livonia soon joined the alliance. By 1356, when the first Hanseatic League Congress was held in Lubeck, its members had increased to 52. The main trade commodities of Hanseatic League are salt, herring, bacon, grain, alcohol, woolen cloth, wool, fur, livestock, plant ash, whale oil, wood, hemp, resin, beeswax, bow material, barrel board, iron, copper, tin and metal products, which link the origin of raw materials with the origin of finished products. Motto of Hanseatic League: Consistency at home and peace abroad With the expansion of military threats from northern Denmark and southern Brandenburg, Hanseatic League began to form a navy, which evolved from a simple economic alliance to an economic, political and military alliance. Many cities join the alliance for commercial interests or security. After joining the alliance, it can be protected so that commercial litigation is not under the jurisdiction of feudal courts. Any city that arrests members of the alliance, violates its promises to the alliance, or sells stolen goods from Hanseatic League merchants will be resisted by the Hanseatic League. The citizens of a Hanseatic city can get a fair trial in other Hanseatic cities, and if they are harassed, they can turn to any city for help. In the market of the alliance, it is forbidden for any businessmen who are not members of the alliance to trade with each other. The conditions for joining the Hanseatic League are harsh, and cities that are not located in coastal areas or on both sides of navigable rivers or have no autonomy have no right to join the Hanseatic League. The application for membership is usually sent to Lubeck, which is considered by the Union Parliament and decided to accept or reject its membership. Because of the different wealth, location and importance of each city, the conditions for joining the alliance and the fees paid by each city are also different, which leads to the inequality among the member cities in the alliance. In addition, individual businessmen or business groups (such as Britain, Spain and France) living outside the sphere of influence of the alliance can also apply to the Hanseatic League for alliance privileges. According to the laws of the Hanseatic League, no member of the Hanseatic League can participate in the war without the consent of four neighboring Hanseatic cities. Some cities were expelled because they refused to fulfill their obligations as members of the alliance, or violated some rules and practices of the alliance. Some cities voluntarily withdrew from the alliance because they did not want to bear the cost of participating in the Hanseatic Parliament. Businessmen from expelled cities will lose their privileges in Hanseatic City and be arrested, and their goods will be confiscated. By the peak of the middle of 65438+4th century, the Hanseatic League had expanded to all German Ports cities on the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, as well as Britain, Flanders, Denmark, Scandinavia, Russia, Finland and other places. German colonists on the east coast of the Baltic Sea established a large number of Hanseatic cities according to strict Hanseatic laws. The main trade route of Hanseatic League With the activities of Hanseatic merchants, the monarchies in northern Europe and western Europe gained huge commercial benefits after establishing commercial relations with Hanseatic League. Most of these countries' economies are based on manor system, with single products and low production efficiency. After the entry of Hanseatic League, the raw materials produced in China can be sold in foreign markets at higher prices, and at the same time, foreign imported products with better quality can be obtained. The import and export taxes of Hanseatic merchants provide a stable and reliable source of income for the national treasury, so countries have welcomed Hanseatic League to set up commercial stations in their own countries. These commercial stations integrate markets, merchants' houses and offices, arbitration offices, workshops, workshops and warehouses, and are equipped with defensive facilities, which are guarded day and night to prevent local people from attacking. The early main trading post was located in Visby, Gotland, Sweden, and was attacked by Denmark, which triggered the war between Hanseatic League and Denmark. Subsequently, four Hanseatic League commercial stations appeared in London, Bruges, Flanders, Bergen, Norway and Novgorod, Russia. London Commercial Station, also known as "Steel Yard/de: Stapelhof" (the origin of this name is controversial. One view is that it originated from the misinformation of the German word "warehouse", and the other view is that steel ingots and billets from Germany are sold here). Founded in 1282, surrounded by high walls, it has its own pier and main building. Hanseatic League has business representatives in various commercial stations, and they are all married businessmen with good reputation. Women are strictly forbidden to enter the business station. In addition to the four major commercial stations, Hanseatic League also has commercial offices and accounting offices in other foreign cities (such as wool producing areas in Britain). The Hanseatic League reached its peak in the late14th century and early15th century. Although its trading posts are limited to the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and Russia, its merchant ships are as far away as France, Spain and Portugal, bringing olive oil, fruits, various wines and salts from southern Europe. Its registered merchant ships are as many as 1000 to 2,000 tons, and Hanseatic merchants obtained one concession after another by providing loans to feudal lords of the Holy Roman Empire and monarchs of other countries. In its heyday, the Hanseatic League dominated the candidates for the throne of Denmark and Sweden, and the king of England even mortgaged the crown to Hanseatic merchants for loans more than once, or borrowed its central fleet and sailors. The Hanseatic League has accumulated a lot of wealth and won the respect of all countries by virtue of commerce and force. The decline and extinction began at the beginning of15th century, and the Hanseatic League showed signs of decline. It has made huge profits through commercial means, but it has not given back to the society, which is also the difference between it and the modern commercial world. Due to the long-term emphasis on the principle of "only buying from the cheapest area", the local agriculture and handicrafts of Hanseatic League have not developed. With the rise of mercantilism and protectionism adopted by the Hanseatic League in other countries, the Hanseatic League began to encounter competition from its rivals. Hanseatic merchants who enjoyed privileges and immunities began to be hated by their own businessmen. British and Dutch businessmen began to bypass the Hanseatic League and establish direct commercial ties with northern Europe and Russia, which posed a serious threat to the business of the Hanseatic League. German Hanseatic League businessmen in London are in England. Inspired by the Hanseatic League, Edward III gradually formed the idea of competing with them, from a pure wool export place to a woolen cloth manufacturing place. He recruited textile workers directly from Flanders and established Britain's own wool spinning industry. The outbreak of wars of the roses kept the Hanseatic League's privilege in Britain for a period of time. In henry vii's time, Britain began to prohibit the direct export of precious metals, and asked Hanseatic League merchants to use the profits to buy British products. By the time of Elizabeth I, the Hanseatic League had been deprived of commercial privileges in Britain for more than 300 years. Elizabeth I believed that the shipping power of Hanseatic League was in direct competition with Britain's cinque ports, and cinque ports had long been the source of warships and the backing of the British navy. 1598 65438+1October 13. Elizabeth I ordered the arrest of 60 Hanseatic merchant ships trading with Spain, the British enemy. Hanseatic businessmen held a meeting in Lubeck to take concerted action to crack down on British export trade. When Elizabeth learned the news, she confiscated all Hanseatic ships and their cargo in Britain and closed the London trading post. Later, she declared that she was "extremely contemptuous of the Hanseatic League and all its actions", which declared the final end of the commercial exchanges between the Hanseatic League and Britain that lasted for more than 300 years. In Flanders, the powerful Burgundy Principality in15th century and the United States rising in16th century threatened the Hanseatic League by building Antwerp Port and encouraging pirate attacks. 145 1 year, Hanseatic merchants abandoned Bruges and moved to Antwerp. With its superior geographical position and numerous port and river conditions, the Netherlands has replaced the position of "sea coachman" in the Hanseatic League merchant fleet and monopolized the commercial shipping in Western Europe. In addition, after the herring fishing ground was transferred from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea in the15th century, Lubeck suffered huge losses, while the Netherlands became rich. 1593, the Antwerp trading post closed, announcing the end of Hanseatic League activities in Flanders. Antwerp, the Hanseatic League city of Belgium, is in Sweden and Denmark. 1397 The Kalmar Alliance has seriously weakened the influence of the Hanseatic Alliance. Queen Margaret I of Denmark forced the Hanseatic League to give up direct political control over Denmark, hand over the fortress occupied by the League and abolish the tax levied by the League on Danish territory. She also supported pirates to launch attacks on Hanseatic merchant ships. The Hanseatic League supported the rebellion in Sweden, but King Gustav Vasa of Sweden broke off relations with Lubeck as soon as he ascended the throne. In the eastern Baltic Sea, the Teutonic Order, the traditional ally of Hanseatic League, began to decline in the 15 to 16 century, and the Russian Empire and the Polish Kingdom took this opportunity to take measures that harmed the interests of Hanseatic League. 1478, Russian czar Ivan III of Russia occupied Novgorod and expelled all Hanseatic merchants. Within the Hanseatic League, because the League itself is a loose alliance composed of many cities, its members regard their own interests as higher than the big interests of the League. Facing the complicated threats of interests, internal differences begin to appear, and some member cities try to gain dominance by harming the interests of other cities. Cologne colluded with Britain to replace Lubeck, and Hamburg also tried to take advantage of the dispute between Lubeck and Denmark. In addition, Germany has been the battlefield of international wars for many times since17th century. In the Thirty Years' War, Germany experienced another high degree of destruction, and the population and livestock decreased sharply, which dealt a heavy blow to the economic base of the Hanseatic League. 1669, the last Hanseatic League Congress was held in Lubeck. Cities such as Rostock, Brunswick, Cologne, Hamburg and Bremen all sent representatives to participate, but by this time the alliance had existed in name only. After the meeting, many cities announced their secession from the Hanseatic League, and finally only three cities, Lubeck, Hamburg and Bremen, remained as "freund Hanseatic". In the Hanseatic League Museum in Bergen, Norway, the Napoleonic Wars brought the final blow to the Hanseatic League. The merchant fleets of Hamburg, Lubeck and Bremen were wiped out by the British navy that blocked the European continent, and Lubeck declined completely. Hamburg and Bremen gained new commercial center status with the help of the rise of the German Empire in the19th century. 1937, in retaliation for Lubeck's early ban on his campaign speeches, Hitler cancelled Lubeck's title of "Hanseatic Free City" and merged it into Big Hamburg. The slogan of Hanseatic League is "internal unity and external peace" (Latin: CONCORDIA DOMI, FORIS PAX). As far as its political nature is concerned, the Hanseatic League is only a loose city alliance, not an alliance country. The alliance has no roster of members, no defense policy, no laws binding on all member cities, and no war in which all members of the alliance participate. Theoretically, the League holds a catering meeting in Lubeck every three years, and the opening date is usually around Easter, which is called "Hansetag". However, in fact, the number of meetings is decreasing year by year. From 1363 to 1550, a total of 53 councils were held, 34 in the first 87 years, 12 in the second 60 years and only 7 in the last 40 years. Some poor cities unable to attend the meeting entrusted other cities to attend on their behalf. If they fail to send representatives three times, they will be expelled from the union. Heinrich Schudman, a well-known businessman of the Hanseatic League, held the Hanseatic Conference, which mainly included reviewing the applications submitted by cities that did not participate; Discussion on the problem of foreign Hanseatic trading post: declare war and conclude a contract; Protecting land and sea roads; Opening up new commercial radio stations; Ruling on currency exchange and weights and measures; Dealing with unsalable goods; Solve related money problems; Listen to the complaints of Hanseatic businessmen about their treatment, and issue warnings and exhortations to cities and businessmen who do not abide by the Covenant. The specific number of Hanseatic League cities in the membership list often changes, usually between 70 and 80. The authorities of the Hanseatic League never disclosed the exact number of its allies at any time, but according to the book "Social and Economic History in the Late Middle Ages", the number of cities included in the history of the Hanseatic League was determined to be 96. According to statistics, some historians believe that the number of cities participating in the Hanseatic League is 155. Most of the cities listed below are major cities that have participated in Hanseatic League activities for a long time. However, in order to reflect the regional nature of the Hanseatic League, some cities only participated in the activities of the Hanseatic League for a short time, but there was a Hanseatic League merchant community in the city for a long time and paid taxes to the Hanseatic League. Tallinn City Hall, a Hanseatic League city (1) Wende business circle, with Lubeck as its capital, covers the Baltic Sea coast and the former German residential areas in Pomerania. Lubeck, Lubeck, Hamburg, Luneburg, Luneburg, Rostock, Greifswald, Staade, Larcon Weisma and * * * Kilkeram Kohlberg Kohlberg (Ko? Obrzeg) (now Poland) Stettin (Szczecin) (now Poland) Copenhagen Kobenhavn (Denmark) ② Saxony business circle covers Saxony, Lower Saxony and Thuringia in Germany, and its capital is Brunswick. Brunswick (Brunswick) Berlin-K&; Ouml Brandenburg, a Hanseatic League city in Bremen, is built near Frankfurt or Gothenburg; Ouml Tingen Deng Mingming Denville Solve Selhaley ③ The business circles of Prussia and Livonia cover Prussia, Teutonic Knights on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, Poland and Sweden. The capital is Danzig. Gdańsk (present-day Poland), the Hanseatic League city of Poland, Kaliningrad K&; Ouml * * * Erg (Kaliningrad) (now Russian) breslau (Wroclaw) breslau (Wroclaw? Ah) (now Poland) Elbin (Erb Longue) Elbin (Elb? G) (now Poland) Thorne (Torun) (now Poland) marienburg (Marburg) marienburg (Marburg) (now Poland) Coulm (higham) Coulm (cut? Mno) (now Poland) Mel Mel Mel Mel (Clay Pether) Mel Mel (Clay Pether) (now Lithuania) Dolpat (Tartu) Dolpat (Tartu) (Teutonic Order, now Estonia) Filin (Viyandi) Felin (Viyandi) (Teutonic Order, now Estonia) Reval (Tallinn). AumlRnu) (Teutonic Order, now Estonia) Riga (Teutonic Order, now Latvia) Visby Vi *** y (Sweden) Krakow (Poland) ④ Rhine Business Circle This business circle includes the Lower Rhine Valley, the Netherlands and Westphalia, and its capital is Cologne. K & ampouml Dortmund in Cologne, Dortmund, ln Osnabrü ck, Mü nster, bielefeld, Duisburg, bielefeld * * * Urg Souster so Estlipper Stadt Lipper Stadt Rou Raymond Roermond (Netherlands) Deventer Deventer (Netherlands) Groningen (Netherlands) Campenkampen (Netherlands) Rutefen Zutphen (Netherlands) Anamarhem (Netherlands) Harderwijk (Netherlands) Fort Elborgh El (Netherlands) Nijmegen (Netherlands) Tam Wenluo (Netherlands) zwolle zwolle (Netherlands) StaWarren (Netherlands) bolles Ward (Netherlands) Now Belgium) Alliance Trade Station Established 1 Four Trade Stations London Bruges Bergen Novgorod 2 Other Major Trade Stations UK: Hanseatic Alliance Chamber of Commerce Warehouse Boston Edinburgh Ipswich IP Switchkinskin Slynn New Castle Great Yarmouth York Netherlands Antwerp Anerpdame Dordrecht Baltic Coast, Poland and Russian Ahlberg aalborg (Denmark) Tonsberg T&; OumlN *** erg (Norway) Oslo Oslo (Norway) Stockholm (Sweden) Skanskan &; Oumlr (Sweden) Malmo malm &; Ouml (Sweden) Kalma (Sweden)