Hanse

See also: Hanse

With the the Middle Ages, a hanse is an professional association of merchants.

More specifically, Hanse , or Hanseatic League is the maritime association of the commercial towns of Northern Europe, around the the North Sea and the the Baltic. She played an important commercial part, then political of the XII {{E}} at the 17th century, before disappearing during the Thirty Year old Guerre. Its capital was Lübeck.

Hanse of the merchants or the association of the merchants of Gotland

In the beginning a hanse , of an old German word hansa which means guild, is an association of merchants carrying on a common activity. There existed for example such associations with Paris, London or between the cities of the North of the France and the Netherlands (hanse clothier of the seventeen cities). One finds also sometimes the orthographies anseatic handle and , formed starting from the expression An See , “at the seaside”.

In the second part of the XII {{E}} and the beginning of the XIII {{E}}, many cities is created in Germany North and around the Baltique: Lübeck in 1158, Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Stettin, Dantzig, Elbing. In all these cities, the Bourgeoisie settles quickly with the pouvoir.
Hanse teutonic is initially an alliance between the towns of Hamburg and Lübeck created in 1241. Many other cities join then. Merchants resulting from these cities trade with Gotland, with which the duke of Saxony Henri the Lion had signed peace in 1161.

Four Former elected officials by the cities represent them in Gotland, and obtain there commercial privileges for the cities of Hanse. Their activity extends soon well beyond Gotland, all around the Baltique, until Novgorod, true crossroads between civilizations Eastern and Western, where they create their own establishment, the Peterhof enjoying the privileges granted by Constantin. These merchants penetrate also the Scandinavia (the fair of Scanie became soon an essential pivot of the Hanseatic trade), the England (where they were officially joined together in 1281 in single a hanse of Germany) and the Netherlands (where the countess of Flanders (Marguerite II of Flanders) granted fundamental privileges in to them 1252 and 1253).

This partnership thus provides a first organization and obtains many privileges with the profit of the merchants of the cities of the future Hanseatic League. One can date the passage from Hanse of the merchants in Hanse of the cities with 1280, when an operation of Blocus against Bruges is organized in the aim of protection the acquired privileges (followed in 1284 of the same type of operation against the Norway).

Hanse of the cities: political power

After this takeover by force, Hanse becomes an political actor with whole share in Northern Europe. It signs treaties with important States like that of the Chevaliers Teutoniques.

Association carries significant military victories vis-a-vis the kingdom of Norway, then against the king of the Denmark (Traité of Stralsund in 1370). Hanse remains however a rather flexible political union and the cities keep a great autonomy.

This original structure is évincée by the Traités of Westphalia in 1648 which ratify the concept of State-nation. At the 18th century the Hanseatic government remains only with Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen.

Today still, the free cities of Hamburg and Bremen (which form two Land S of the federal republic of Germany) give a report on their old quality of Hanseatic city.

Hanse was started again in 1980 on the initiative of the Dutch city of Zwolle. An intense activity between the Hanseatic cities - also on the level of youth - is again on the way, with its principal seat with Lübeck. Annual Hanseatic Days are already programmed until 2029. The site of the Hanse news is www.hanse.org

Organization

The merchants resulting from Lübeck, of the cities Westphalia and saxonnes elected four Old (for Visby, for Lübeck, for Soest and for Dortmund) which exerted justice and represented them abroad. The league was divided into 4 sections, chaired by Lübeck, Cologne, Brunswick and Danzig.

The members cities were committed respecting the decisions of Hansetag (general meeting of the cities which took place every three years, generally with Lübeck) but it had only one advisory role since the application of its decisions was let to goodwill each city which was however to contribute its share military and financial to the league.

List cities and counters of Hanse

Wende zone gathering the Mecklembourg, the Poméranie and the Brandebourg

Zone saxonne

Zone prusso-livonienne

  • Danzig (Gdańsk, capital)
  • Breslau (Wrocław)
  • Dorpat (Tartu)
  • Elbing (Elbląg)
  • Königsberg (Kaliningrad)
  • Reval (Tallinn)
  • Rīga
  • Stockholm
  • Thorn (Toruń)
  • Visby
  • Cracow

Westphalian zone

Counters of Hanse

Principal counters

Secondary counters

Counters of Hanse

List cities where Hanse had a Comptoir.

See too

External bonds

  • Hanse in the Baltic by Suzanne Champonnois, Teaching of history at the National institute of the languages and Eastern civilizations.
  • Hanse, a union of interests per Valerie Sobotka, Historian.

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