Though the Hanseatic League ended formally in 1669, this medieval associations of merchants still casts a spell. Many cities along the Baltic and North Sea -Lubeck, Hamburg, Bremen, Rostock, Wismar, Riga, Tallin, bergen to name a few are proud to call themselves Hanseatic. But what was it about this organisation (if it even was one) that had no permanent institutions, not even a register of members and started out at the far fringes of the global trading system that feels still so relevant. This podcast series tries to get to the bottom of this.
This podcast is part of the broader History of the Germans podcast that aims to track the history of the German people from the Early Middle Ages to Reunification in 1991. If you enjoy this show, check out any of the other seasons or follow the main show.
So far I have the following seasons:
The Ottonians (919 AD-1024 AD)
Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy (1024 AD-1125 AD)
Fredrick Barbarossa and Early Hohenstaufen (1125-1190)
Frederick II Stupor Mundi (1190-1268)
Saxony and Eastward Expansion
The Hanseatic League
The Teutonic Knights
The Holy Roman Empire (1250 AD -1356 AD)
The Reformation before the Reformation (1356AD -1439 AD)
The Empire in the 15th Century
The Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs (1439AD -1519 AD)
A history of the Hanseatic League normally begins with the story of the foundation, destruction and refoundation of Lübeck. This series will not do that. For once, we already had a whole episode of the Foundation of Lübeck. If you want to check it out, look for episode 105 of the History of the Germans Podcast.Â
But more importantly, the foundation of Lübeck, is still just the foundation of a city. Do not get me wrong, Lübeck is a stunning city and its Rathaus and the magnificent churches, including the astounding Marienkirche tell us about the wealth and the civic pride of its inhabitants. But then, Burges is an even more astounding merchant city, as are Antwerp, Amsterdam, not to speak of Florence or Venice.Â
What I mean is that if Lübeck, Bremen, Hamburg, Gdansk and Riga had just been successful trading cities in the Middle Ages, the cities of Bergen, Novgorod and King’s Lynn would not still remind everyone of their old business relationship.
It isn’t the size and beauty of its cities that that makes the Hanseatic League special, it is the way they co-operated. And that does not begin with the foundation of Lübeck, but with something that happened shortly after the foundation of Lübeck, in 1161.
Key Takeaways:
- The Hanseatic League’s significance lies in cooperation among cities, not merely their beauty.
- The concept of mutual trust was crucial for the success of the Hanseatic merchants.
- Gotlanders were vital to the trade network, providing safe passage and local knowledge.
- The establishment of trading yards in Novgorod fostered a unique German-Scandinavian partnership.
- Merchants in the 12th century were part trader, part adventurer, navigating dangerous waters.
- The Treaty of Adlenburg marked a pivotal moment in fostering trade relations.
Chapters:
- 00:07 – Introduction to the Hanseatic League
- 00:16 – The Significance of King’s Lynn
- 00:26 – The Hanseatic Heritage in Germany and Beyond
- 04:37 – The Nature of 12th Century Merchants
- 09:50 – The Treaty of Adlenburg and Merchant Safety
- 08:12 – The Role of Gotland in Trade
- 25:42 – The Establishment of the Kontor in Novgorod
- 34:21 – Mutual Trust and Economic Success
- 35:00 – Conclusion and Upcoming Topics
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by https://www.windrep.org/Michel_Rondeau (Michel Rondeau)Â
As always:
Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: http://www.historyofthegermans.com
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Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify
Click here to listen to it as a seperate Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Click here to listen to the playlist on YouTube
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
Overview
The Hanse of the Merchants of the Holy Roman Empire described itself as neither a corporation, nor an organisation nor any definable entity at all.
But still it existed and it dominated the Baltic Sea for centuries, not only economically but also militarily and politically. They chose kings and made rulers disappear. They opened trade routes and forced cities and rulers to grant them privileges.
But underneath ran a network of medium sized merchants who helped each other out with information, trading and storing each other’s goods and handling their finances. The Hanse is unique in not one but every conceivable way….
Transcripts and Episode Descriptions
#109 Gotlandfahrer
The Beginnings of the Hanseatic League
All beginning is hard, but the intrepid traders from Lübeck had to find their way to Gotland and from there to Novgorod the hard way.
#110 The Livonian Cities
Riga, Reval/Tallinn, Dorpat/Taru, Narva
Riga, Reval (=Tallin) and Dorpat (=Tartu) were the members of the Hanseatic League who ended up controlling the trade in fur and beeswax
#111 Hewing & Herring
The Copper Mines of Falun and the Fisheries of Skane
The humble herring turned out to be the most significant trade in the Hanseatic League
#112 Grain & Beer
The Hanse’s Trade in Beer and Cereals
A rundown of the history of the Hanseatic cities along the Baltic coast and the first large scale transport of grain in Europe since Roman times
#113 Bergen & Bruges
The Kontors of the Hanseatic League
Today we will talk about the Bryggen, the famous Hanseatic Kontor or trading post in Bergen in western Norway.
#114 The London Steelyard
The Merchants of Cologne bring Wine and a lot more to England
We look at the great Hanseatic Kontor in London that goes back to 1176.
#115 War with Denmark (Part 1)
Waldemar Atterdag’s attack on Gotland
A story of plague and recovery first of the cities of the Hanseatic league and then of the broken kingdom of Denmark
#116 War with Denmark (Part 2)
The Peace of Stralsund 1370
A story of plague and recovery first of the cities of the Hanseatic league and then of the broken kingdom of Denmark
#117 Embargoes
or how the Hanse forced Norway, Novgorod and even Bruges to grant privileges
A story of plague and recovery first of the cities of the Hanseatic league and then of the broken kingdom of Denmark
#118 Pirates
Did Klaus Störtebecker even exist, and if so, did he matter?
Klaus Stortebecker may have been a legend, but there were pirates in the Baltic in the 14th century and they were a danger to the Hansa
#119 What was the Hansa
A crocodile whose main body is concealed below the water?
Historians have re-interpreted the Hanse for 200 years. The latest notion is that it was a network like eBay or Amazon. Does that make sense?
#120 Money, Money, Money
…how it worked in the Hanseatic League
How did the Hanse operate the other side of the equation – the money? Find out how the 15th century was already almost cashless…
#121 A Constitutional Crisis
The lower classes in the Hanse cities are rising up
By 1400 the Hanse is at the height of its powers, but just 10 years later the association faces a mortal crisis
#122 Calamitous Victories
Calamitous Victories open the Baltic to English merchants
Wars with Denmark and England dominate the 15th century. Built into these conflicts are internal tensions between the Hanse Cities
#123 Decline & Fall (Part 1)
Emperors, kings and princes are closing in on Hanse cities
Wars with Denmark and England dominate the 15th century. Built into these conflicts are internal tensions between the Hanse Cities
#124 Decline & Fall (Part 2)
Jürgen Wullenwever’s and Lübeck’s last stand
The fall of Lübeck from queen of the Baltic in 3 Acts, most of which committed by Jürgen Wullenwever, the populist Burgomaster
#125 The Rise of Hamburg
Wars with Denmark and England dominate the 15th century. Built into these conflicts are internal tensions between the Hanse Cities
#126 A Brief History of Bremen
Different from the rest with its gutsy antics – sheltering pirates and irritating fellow Hansards. Bremen’s relationship with the Hanseatic League was as stormy as an Atlantic squall
#127 Art and Culture of the Hanse
Art and culture of the Hanse is defined by the splendour of its town halls and the soaring spires of its parish churches, but there is more…
An Interview with Carsten Jahnke
Professor Carsten Jahnke, one of the leading historians on the Hanse has kindly granted us an interview where we discuss how the Hanse network functioned and how the perception of the Hanse has changed dramatically over the last 200 years, a story that almost as interesting as the history of the Hanse itself.
Stumbled across your podcast on Spotify – I have to say it really is excellent!