In modern Germany there is a special sign of historical distinction, evidence that the seven cities of this state are the custodians of the traditions of a long-term, voluntary and mutually beneficial coalition, rare in history. This sign is H. It means that cities in which car license plates begin with this letter were included in Hanseatic League. The letters HB on license plates should be read as Hansestadt Bremen - “Hanseatic city of Bremen”, HL - “Hanseatic city of Lübeck”. The letter H is also present on the license plates of Hamburg, Greifswald, Stralsund, Rostock and Wismar, which played a key role in the medieval Hanseatic League.

Hansa is a commonwealth in which in the XIII - XVII centuries free people united German cities to protect merchants and trade from the power of feudal lords, as well as to jointly resist pirates. The association included cities in which burghers lived - free citizens; they, unlike subjects of kings and feudal lords, were subject to the norms of “city law” (Lubeck, Magdeburg). At various periods of its existence, the Hanseatic League included about 200 cities, including Berlin and Dorpat (Tartu), Danzig (Gdansk) and Cologne, Königsberg (Kaliningrad) and Riga. To develop rules and laws mandatory for all merchants, a congress of members of the union regularly met in Lübeck, which became the main center of maritime trade in the Northern Basin.

In a number of non-members of the Hansa, there were “offices” - branches and representative offices of the Hansa, protected by privileges from the encroachments of local princes and municipalities. The largest “offices” were located in London, Bruges, Bergen and Novgorod. As a rule, the "German yards" had their own piers and warehouses, and were also exempt from most fees and taxes.

According to some modern historians, the founding of Lübeck in 1159 should be considered the event that marked the beginning of the creation of a trade union. The Hanseatic League was a rare example of a union in which all parties strived for a common goal - development trade relations. Thanks to German merchants, goods from Eastern and Northern Europe arrived to the south and west of the continent: timber, furs, honey, wax, rye. Koggi (sailboats), loaded with salt, cloth and wine, went in the opposite direction.

In the 15th century, the Hanseatic League began to experience defeat after defeat from the nation-states reborn in its zone of England, the Netherlands, Denmark and Poland. The rulers of the countries that were gaining strength did not want to lose income from exports, so they liquidated the Hanseatic trading yards. However, the Hansa existed until the 17th century. The most persistent participants in the virtually collapsed coalition turned out to be Lubeck - a symbol of the power of German merchants, Bremen and Hamburg. These cities entered into a tripartite alliance in 1630. The Hanseatic trade union collapsed after 1669. It was then that the last congress took place in Lübeck, which became the final event in the history of the Hansa.

An analysis of the experience of the first trade and economic association, its achievements and miscalculations is interesting both for historians and for modern entrepreneurs and politicians whose minds are busy solving the problems of pan-European integration.

Using the Internet, prepare a report on the Hanseatic League. Think about what international organizations nowadays they solve the problems that faced the Hanseatic League during its existence.

Answer

Hanseatic League, Hanseatic League, also Hanseatic League (German Deutsche Hanse or Düdesche Hanse, Old German Hansa - literally “group”, “union”, lat. Hansa Teutonica) - a political and economic union that united almost 300 trade cities of northwestern Europe from the middle of the 12th century to mid-17th century centuries. The date of the Hansa cannot be precisely determined because it is not based on a specific document. The Hanseatic League developed gradually as trade expanded along the shores of the Baltic and North Seas.

The reason for the formation of the Hanseatic League was the growth of the population of the territories north of the Elbe as a result of migration, the emergence of new cities and independent communes and, as a result, an increase in the need for goods and an increase in trade. The Hansa began to form in the 12th century as a union of merchants, then as a union of merchant guilds, and by the end of the 13th century as a union of cities. The Hanseatic League included cities with autonomous city ​​government(“city council”, town hall) and their own laws.

To produce general rules and the laws of the Hanseatic League, representatives of cities regularly gathered at congresses in Lübeck. Hanseatic merchants and companies enjoyed certain rights and privileges.

In non-Hansean cities there were representative offices of the Hansa - offices. Such foreign offices of the Hansa were located in Bergen, London and Bruges. At the easternmost end of the Hansa trading system, an office was founded in Novgorod (Peterhof), where European goods were sold (wine, textiles) and hemp, wax, honey, wood, hides and furs were purchased.

Nowadays, the tasks facing the Hanseatic League during its existence are solved by international organizations: the UN, various economic unions (SCO, OPEC, BRIC, etc.)

There are very few examples in world history when voluntary unions existed for a long time. As soon as the balance in the interests of the participants was upset, discontent, squabbles and, as a consequence, the collapse of the association immediately began. Those rare examples when this did not happen, and the union existed successfully for a long time, should be a role model and an incentive to learn to maintain a balance of interests. The Hanseatic League, a union of cities in northern Europe, could become such a standard. It existed and developed for approximately four centuries against the backdrop of wars, devastation, division of states and other ordeals.

Where did he come from?

No one will now remember the history of the origin of its name, but it is clear that it arose thanks to a certain association with common goals.

The union did not arise overnight; it was facilitated by long decades of uncoordinated work that did not bring the desired results. This is how thoughts arose about the need for unity for the common good. The Hanseatic League became the first trade and economic association. Merchant units did not have enough power to create favorable and unsafe conditions for trade. Robberies and thefts beyond the defensive border were common at that time, and merchants faced enormous difficulties.

Merchants took particular risks in other towns, since each place had its own rules, sometimes very strict ones. Violation of the rules could result in large losses. There was also competition; no one wanted to give up their positions and lose profits.

The sales problem became increasingly big sizes, and the merchants had no choice but to conclude peace agreements. Although they were temporary, when going to another city, the merchant did not feel in such danger.

External factors also made their own adjustments. Pirates posed a huge danger, because it was almost impossible to cope with them alone.

The rulers of the cities came to the decision that they needed to jointly protect the seas from invaders and divide the costs of attacks in equal shares. The first agreement on the protection of territories was signed by Lübeck and Cologne in 1241. After 15 years, Rostock and Lüneburg joined the union.

After a couple of decades, Lübeck was already strong enough and spoke openly about his demands. Hansa was able to open a sales office in London. This was one of the first steps towards the enormous growth of the union. Now the Hanseatic League will not only control the entire trade sphere, setting its own rules, but also have influence in the political field. Many cities could not withstand the pressure of unification and simply gave up.

Merchants' Union

Now the merchants could enjoy power. Another confirmation of their power was the signing of an agreement in 1299 that from now on the sailing ship of a merchant who was not a member of the Hansa would not be serviced. This forced even opponents of the union to join the union.

In 1367 the number of participants was already about eighty. All offices of the Hanseatic League were fortified general rules who in a foreign land defended themselves from local authorities. Own possessions were the main goal for unification and were jealously guarded. All actions of competitors were carefully monitored, and measures were taken immediately.

The loss of Hansa influence was provoked by the state of fragmentation in which Germany was located. At first this played a positive role for the possibility of unification, but with the development of the Moscow state, and then England, it came to the detriment of the Hanseatic League. The lag of north-eastern Europe also led to disruption of the functioning of the union.

Despite all the shortcomings, the Hanseatic League is still remembered, and many monuments have been preserved about it that will forever remain in world history.

The purpose of this work is to talk about the features of the era in which merchant communities developed, to highlight the history of the emergence of the Hanseatic Trade Union as a special phenomenon in the life of Medieval Europe. Having formed in the 12th century as a merchant union, at the end of the 13th century the Hansa was already a union of cities. This union dominated trade in the Baltic and North Seas for a long time.

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Introduction

Features of European trade in the 11th century XIII centuries

The emergence and development of the Hanseatic Trade League

Cities that were members of the Hanseatic Trade League or had Hanseatic representation

Relations between the Hanseatic Trade Union and Novgorod

New Hansa

Conclusion

List of sources and literature used

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this work is to talk about the features of the era in which merchant communities developed, to highlight the history of the emergence of the Hanseatic Trade Union as a special phenomenon in the life of Medieval Europe. Having formed in the 12th century as a merchant union, at the end of the 13th century the Hansa was already a union of cities.This union dominated trade in the Baltic and North Seas for a long time.

We face the following tasks:

• Characterize the features of European trade in the 11th-13th centuries
• Talk about the emergence and development of the Hanseatic Trade Union
• Indicate the cities that were members of the Hanseatic Trade League or had Hanseatic representation
• Describe the relations between the Hanseatic Trade Union and Novgorod
• Talk about the so-called “New Hansa” and the prospects for its development.

The relevance of studying this issue is beyond doubt. Some European economists and political scientists suggest that the 21st century will be an era of commercial and industrial consolidation in Europe; in light of this information, it seems necessary to talk about such an impressive experience of Hanseatic traders in the field of international trade. It is also interesting that many German cities still retain the title “Hanseatic” in their names.

Various sources were used to write the work, including educational literature and historical publications on the topic, articles, as well as Internet resources.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that it contains comprehensive information on the topic, gives us an idea of ​​the features of trade in the Middle Ages and introduces us to the history of the Hanseatic Trade League.

FEATURES OF EUROPEAN TRADE

IN THE XI-XIII CENTURIES

First, it should be noted that already from the 11th century the city medieval Europe are making attempts to free themselves from seigneurial power.

Some used weapons and organized an uprising, others tried to pay off the lord.

One way or another, during this movement for independence, unique city-states, city-communes were formed, power in which passed into the hands of the City Council.

The political importance of such cities is increasing. In addition, in the XII-XIII centuries, a new class began to form - the burghers, which had personal freedom, the right to property and participation in solving urban issues.

However, despite a number of privileges, city residents strictly obeyed the City Council, life inside the city was built on a corporate basis and this applied to everyone: artisans, merchants, etc.

It would be fair to note that starting from the 12th century, a successful merchant is already a traveling merchant; he spends less and less time in his hometown. His presence is required by business in other cities, the purchase of new goods, and fairs. And, although the merchant of that era is good with a sword, he never sets out on the road alone, without his people. Many difficulties awaited him: roads were either missing or in terrible condition, bridges were destroyed. River and sea ​​travel also could not be called safe: running aground, breaking on shore stones or rocks - there were many opportunities to lose cargo or even die. In addition, both land and waterways were full of people wishing to profit from merchant goods and money.

And in this case, merchants had to be very inventive in order to avoid danger. As already mentioned, the merchants took with them detachments of armed servants, but this measure sometimes played a cruel joke on them: a huge caravan inspired the idea that they were carrying very expensive goods and attracted extra interest to it as just robbers with high road, and the lord whose lands this caravan was supposed to cross. The lord provided the merchant with his convoy for a certain fee, which ensured security along the entire route; if the merchant refused these services, the lord simply robbed him.

The matter was no less complicated by the peculiarities of European law of the era in question. According to the laws of that time, any goods that touched the possessions of the lord automatically became his property, for example, objects brought ashore after a shipwreck belonged to the owner of this shore, as, in fact, a ship that ran aground, goods that fell out of a cart due to endless shaking on the roads also became the property of the local lord.

The endless customs duties also caused no less trouble.

Thus, we see that the merchants were in dire need of help, some privileges, which they could only obtain in the cities that had become independent, which began to pursue their own trade policy.

Strangers were treated with suspicion, assuming that a merchant from another city certainly wanted to deceive the locals, while, taking into account the peculiarities of the era, there was no difference between a merchant from another country or simply from a neighboring city, they were equally considered strangers. The city created a system of protective measures, the main purpose of which was to prevent a foreign merchant from profiting where his own, local merchant could profit. Everything was used: a ban on trade in certain places and on certain days, high duties and much more.

A little later, many cities began to enter into mutually beneficial agreements with each other in order to facilitate trade for certain categories of merchants. At the same time, within the framework of his hometown, the merchant was obliged to take into account certain rules, for example, the city dictated the price of the goods, which was reflected in the “fair price” rule. The city did not allow the emergence of large trading companies.

In the 11th-13th centuries, merchants united in guilds. This, on the one hand, helped them during dangerous journeys, on the other hand, gave them some privileges in trade within the city itself. The guild controlled trade in the city, not allowing outsiders. At the same time, the guild was not just an economic community, it was a kind of brotherhood, whose members helped each other in everyday adversity, however, they punished guild members for violating professional ethics very strictly on behalf of the elected authorities.

Such merchant unions arose everywhere in the Middle Ages.

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

HANSEA TRADE UNION

Hansa (German: Hanse , ancient-high German Hansa, literally “group”, “union”) is a kind of synonym for the concept of guild or workshop, that is, a merchant community.

The Hanseatic Trade Union was formed in the 12th century as a union of merchants, and later took shape as a union of cities.

The Hansa is an association of merchants from different cities, and this is unusual, because previously merchant unions united only merchants of one city, cutting off outsiders. The path to joining the Hansa was also special. So, in the London Hanse, in addition to the mandatory entrance fee, there were two more requirements for the candidate. Firstly, he had to belong to the merchant community of his hometown, and secondly, he should not have been considered an artisan for a year and one day (Craftsmen were not allowed because they were afraid of their competition. Of the so-called free craftsmen, merchants only wanted to make ministers).

The process of forming the Hanseatic Trade Union was quite long. The Hanseatic League was first mentioned in documents in 1358. The London Hanse was formed, which existed until the 15th century, and merchant associations arose on the continent around Cologne and Lubeck; at the end of the 13th century, the unification of both German Hanses took place. The center of this association initially became the territory on the banks of the Thames, called the Steel Yard, which included warehouses, barns, inns, etc. It is interesting that the affairs in the territory of the Steel Yard were run by an elected council, which decided matters according to the customs of the guild, not taking into account English laws.

The Hansa was extensive. So, at first, the Saxon and northern lands recognized the dominant position of Lübeck, the Westphalian and Prussian lands - Cologne, and the inhabitants of Gotland and Livonia - the city of Visby, the capital of the island of Gotland.

The island of Gotland played a significant role in the formation and development of the Hanseatic League, being in an exclusively grazing position in the Baltic Sea, it lay in the path of all ships, which helped the development of trade in the region. So, it was the Gotlandic merchants who would create an office in Veliky Novgorod.

However, it was the city of Lübeck that was considered the “Queen of the Hanse”; goods from the Northern and Baltic seas. According to some reports, at least 20 ships left Lübeck for Bergen per year. A significant number!

The final flowering of the so-called “German Hanse” occurred in the 14th century, when it subjugated the entire Northern European direction of trade.

The Hanseatic Trade Union created trading colonies, thus, Hanseatic merchants often enjoyed greater rights in foreign lands than local traders and even more so other foreign merchants.

Why was the Hansa so strong? The answer lies in the state feudal fragmentation Germany. The authorities were unable to ensure the safety of trade. Cities entered into alliances, seeing benefits in this cooperation. And it was in the union of cities and trade centers that the strength of the Hanseatic League lay. Military and trade alliances were formed between the member cities of the Hansa. The size of duties, legal protection of merchants, which reached its apogee in the formation of the so-called Lübeck law, debt collection, mutual support in private wars, etc. were negotiated. The Hanseatic Trade Union sought to obtain all sorts of privileges for its merchants. Thus, Cologne merchants were exempted by Henry II from all London duties and traded freely at English fairs.

Formally, the Hansa was in many ways stronger than some European monarchs. However, they resorted to war extremely reluctantly, because this jeopardized their main interest - trade!

However, as often happens, the strength of the Hanse also gave rise to weaknesses. For example, it was stated that the merchant's inheritance should be divided among all his heirs, which prevented the accumulation of capital and its further investment in the business. By limiting the intervention of artisans in trade, the merchants caused increasing discontent. National feeling also grew in many countries where the local merchants were dissatisfied with the strengthening of the Hanseatic monopoly. And the fragmentation of Germany, which at first played into its hands, now aggravated the state of affairs: the absence of a strong political center and its support greatly affected the position of the Hanseatic Trade Union.

Failures one after another haunted the Hanseatic merchants. In 1478, the office in Novgorod was destroyed by Ivan III, who captured the city. The herring catch in the Baltic Sea has decreased. In 1530, a quarter of the German population died from a plague epidemic. In 1598, by order of Elizabeth I, the Steel Yard was destroyed. The city of Bruges was cut off from the sea as the harbor was covered in silt. Thirty Years' War changed the map of Europe. The Netherlands and England actively developed industry, looking for ways to sell it without intermediary services. In connection with the discovery and development of America, trade routes began to shift to the West.

The last all-Hansean congress took place in 1669.

CITIES THAT WERE MEMBERS OF THE HANSA TRADE UNION OR HAD HANSA REPRESENTATIONS

The number of cities that were part of the Hanseatic League was not constant. IN different time This union included about 200 cities. Congresses of the Hanseatic cities periodically took place in Lübeck. The decisions of these congresses were not binding for individual cities, and many did not attend them at all.

Among the members of the Hanse are such famous cities as Amsterdam, Hanover, Cologne, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Danzig (Gdansk), Konigsberg (Kaliningrad), Memel (Klaipeda), Riga, Pernov (Pärnu), Yuriev (Tartu) , Stockholm, Narva and many other cities.

In addition, many cities had large Hanseatic representative offices on their territory; the richest offices were located in London, Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod.

RELATIONS OF THE HANSEA TRADE UNION

AND NOVGOROD

Novgorod was one of the main trading partners of the Hansa. Both sides - Novgorod and the Hanseatic League were interested in cooperation.

The writer B. Kiselyov most accurately formulated the idea of ​​​​cooperation between Novgorod and the Hansa, noting that Peter I cut a window to Europe where in the times of Novgorod the doors were wide open.

At the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th centuries, Novgorod and Lubeck concluded a number of mutually beneficial trade agreements. It is interesting that at the beginning of the 14th century, the struggle for the exclusive right to trade with Novgorod, along with Lubeck, was led by Visby, which once claimed to be the central force in the emerging union of German cities.

However, concluding an agreement with Novgorod in 1361, the Hanseatic Trade Union emphasized that decisions made in Novgorod would only be valid if they were supported by other cities, namely Lubeck, Visby, Riga, Revel, Dorpat.

The main issues concerning the Novgorod court were decided jointly - by the merchants of Lübeck and the merchants of Visby. There was a very strict charter of the Hanseatic court of St. Peter in Novgorod.

The behavior of merchants, the peculiarities of conducting trade, fines, the procedure for placing merchants inside the courtyard were clearly stipulated, and the duties of the headman of the courtyard were specified. Thus, the headman had to maintain all the privileges and messages of the cities that the Novgorod court received. For the loss of letters, the headman was punished with a fine and members of the community were deprived of their rights.

Interestingly, the highest fine was imposed on Hanseatic merchants if their actions threatened the established Hansa monopoly in trade with Novgorod, thus harming the entire merchant class.

In the second half of the 14th century, relations between the Hanseatic merchants and Novgorod began to deteriorate. Thus, this is not the first time that the Master of the Livonian Order demands that Lübeck cease all contacts with Novgorod, due to its hostile attitude towards Catholicism. And Lübeck agrees, although the merchants do not stop trading, but simply transfer it to the Neva, Vyborg and other lands.

In addition, the reason for the quarrel with the Hanseatic League was also an attack on Novgorod merchants by robbers who transported stolen goods to Lubeck.

Such disputes between Novgorod and the Hansa more than once led to the confiscation of goods and the mutual arrest of merchants.

In addition, it is known that in 1385 in Novgorod, during a fire, the courtyards of Hanseatic merchants were plundered by the Novgorodians, which inevitably led to increased confrontation.

In 1391, Niebuhr's peace was concluded, which regulated relations between Novgorod and the Hansa.

However, conflicts continued into the 15th century. Novgorodians tightened trade rules and criticized the quality of goods.

In 1417, the Hanseatic people declared a trade blockade on Novgorod, and Novgorod, in turn, forbade Novgorodians from visiting Pskov and Polotsk, where German merchants could be met. Soon, however, another truce was concluded.

In 1425, the German court in Novgorod once again burned down. Reconstruction cost the Hansa big money. Fires, it must be said, plagued German merchants in Novgorod throughout the 15th century.

The campaign of Ivan 3 against Novgorod in 1478 also affected the position of the Hanseatic traders.

In 1494, the Hanseatic office in Novgorod was closed.

NEW HANSA

Despite the fact that over time the Hanseatic Trade Union weakened and then completely ceased to exist, its spirit was still able to be reborn.

Many cities still honor the memory of the fact that they were once part of the Hansa and emphasize this in every possible way. Thus, the East German city of Rostock recently regained its ancient name - Hanseatic Rostock. Some German cities still retain the title “Hanseatic” in their official names, for example, Hamburg is fully called: “The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.”

Who knows, perhaps the Baltic, on the shores of which at least fifty million people live, will turn into a special economic region developing mutually beneficial trade for the Baltic states?

CONCLUSION

As a result of working on the abstract, we made some conclusions.

Based on the peculiarities of European trade in the 11th-13th centuries, merchants were forced to unite into unions, which, on the one hand, protected traders and their interests, and on the other, imposed their own rules and conditions of trade on them.

The Hanseatic Trade League is one of the most famous merchant unions, formed as a union of traders, but later became very powerful as a union of cities. For a long time, this union controlled trade in the Baltic and North Seas.

About 200 states were members of the Hanseatic Trade Union at different times. Among them are mainly cities of modern Germany and the Baltic states. He occupied a central place and played a very important role in the development of the entire union the city of Lübeck.

One of the largest offices of the Hanseatic League was located in Novgorod. Relations between the Hansa and Novgorod were not smooth. And, although both parties were interested in cooperation, nevertheless, in 1494 the office was closed.

Despite the fact that the Hanseatic Trade League officially ceased to exist, many cities revived the memory of it in their names.

We believe that the goals we set at the beginning of the abstract have been achieved and the tasks have been realized.

However, it would be interesting to devote a little more time to studying this issue, for example, to highlight the role, place and contribution of individual Hanseatic cities in the development of the Union. Or pay more attention to the prospects for the development of the New Hansa.

Speaking about the fact that trade is the engine of progress, it’s time to ask the question - what kind of progress awaits us?

LIST OF SOURCES AND REFERENCES USED

Literature

1. Danilov A.A. Kosulina L.G. Brandt M.Yu. “Russia and the world. Antiquity. Middle Ages. New time": a textbook for general education organizations - M.: Prosveshchenie, 2007.
2. Dzhivelegov A.K. “Trade in the West in the Middle Ages” / A.K. Dzhivelegov; ed. edited by N.I. Karev and I.V. Luchitsky.- St. Petersburg: Type. joint stock company"Brockhaus-Efron", 1904
3. Rybina E. A. “Novgorod and Hansa” - M.: Handwritten monuments Ancient Rus', 2009 .

Internet resources

1. http://vivovoco.ibmh.msk.su/VV/PAPERS/HISTORY/ЗHANZA.HTM

1. http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ruwiki/628515

Introduction

In world history there are not many examples of voluntary and mutually beneficial alliances concluded between states or any corporations. In addition, the overwhelming majority of them were based on self-interest and greed. And, as a result, they turned out to be very short-lived. Any violation of interests in such an alliance invariably led to its collapse. All the more attractive for comprehension, as well as for learning instructive lessons in our days, are such rare examples of long-term and strong coalitions, where all actions were subordinated to the ideas of cooperation and development, like the Hanseatic Trade League.

This community of cities became one of the most important forces in Northern Europe and an equal partner of sovereign states. However, since the interests of the cities that were part of the Hansa were too different, economic cooperation did not always turn into political and military cooperation. However, the undeniable merit of this union was that it laid the foundations for international trade.

The political relevance of the topic being studied is that the history of the Hanseatic League, its experience, mistakes and achievements are very instructive not only for historians, but also for modern politicians. Much of what elevated him and then cast him into oblivion is repeated in modern history Europe. Sometimes the countries of the continent, in their desire to create a strong union and thus achieve advantages on the world stage, make the same miscalculations as the Hanseatic merchants many centuries ago.

The purpose of the work is to describe the history of the existence of the most powerful medieval trade union in Europe. Objectives - to consider the reasons for the emergence of the Hanseatic Trade Union, its activities during its heyday (XIII-XVI centuries), as well as the reasons for its collapse.

The emergence and development of the Hanseatic League

The formation of the Hansa, which dates back to 1267, was the response of European merchants to the challenges of the Middle Ages. A fragmented Europe was a very risky place for business. Pirates and robbers ruled the trade routes, and what could be saved from them and brought to the counters was taxed by the princes of the church and appanage rulers. Everyone wanted to profit from the entrepreneurs, and regulated robbery flourished. The rules, taken to the point of absurdity, allowed fines to be taken for the “wrong” depth of a clay pot or the width of a piece of fabric.

Despite all this, German maritime trade had already achieved significant development in those days; already in the 9th century this trade was carried out with England, Nordic states and with Russia, and it was always carried out on armed merchant ships. Around the year 1000, the Saxon king Æthelred granted significant advantages to German merchants in London; His example was subsequently followed by William the Conqueror.

In 1143, the city of Lübeck was founded by the Count of Schaumburg. Subsequently, the Count of Schaumburg ceded the city to Henry the Lion, and when the latter was declared disgraced, Lubeck became an imperial city. The power of Lübeck was recognized by all the cities of Northern Germany, and a century before the official formation of the Hanse, the merchants of this city had already received trading privileges in many countries.

In 1158, the city of Lübeck, which quickly achieved brilliant prosperity due to the increased development of trade in the Baltic Sea, founded the German trading company in Visby, on the island of Gotland; this city was located approximately halfway between the Trave and the Neva, the Sound and the Gulf of Riga, the Vistula and Lake Mälar, and thanks to this position, as well as the fact that in those days, due to the imperfections of navigation, ships avoided long passages, they began to enter it all ships, and thus it acquired great importance.

In 1241, the merchant unions of the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg entered into an agreement to jointly protect the trade route connecting the Baltic Sea with the North Sea. In 1256, the first unification of a group of coastal cities was formed - Lubeck, Hamburg, Luneburg, Wismar, Rostock. The final unified union of the Hanseatic cities - Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne, Gdansk (Danzig), Riga and others (initially the number of cities reached 70) - took shape in 1267. Representation was entrusted to the main city of the union - Lubeck quite voluntarily, since its burgomasters and the senators were considered the most capable of conducting business, and at the same time this city assumed the associated expenses for the maintenance of warships.

The leaders of the Hansa very skillfully used favorable circumstances to take control of trade in the Baltic and North Seas, make it their own monopoly, and thus be able to set prices for goods at their own discretion; in addition, they tried to acquire in states where this was of interest to them, the greatest possible privileges, such as, for example, the right to freely establish colonies and carry out trade, exemption from taxes on goods, from land taxes, the right to acquire houses and courtyards, with representing to them extraterritoriality and their own jurisdiction. These efforts for the most part were successful even before the founding of the union. Prudent, experienced and possessing not only commercial, but also political talents, the commercial leaders of the union were excellent at taking advantage of the weaknesses or difficult situations of neighboring states; At the same time, they did not miss the opportunity to indirectly (by supporting the enemies of this state) or even directly (through privateering or open war) to put these states in a difficult position, in order to force certain concessions from them. Thus, Liege and Amsterdam, Hanover and Cologne, Göttingen and Kiel, Bremen and Hamburg, Wismar and Berlin, Frankfurt and Stettin (now Szczecin), Danzig (Gdansk) and Königsberg (Kaliningrad), Memel (Klaipeda) gradually joined the number of Hanseatic cities ) and Riga, Pernov (Pyarnu) and Yuryev (Dorpt, or Tartu), Stockholm and Narva. In the Slavic cities of Wolin, at the mouth of the Oder (Odra) and in what is now Polish Pomerania, in Kolberg (Kołobrzeg), in Latvian Vengspils (Vindawe) there were large Hanseatic trading posts that actively bought up local goods and, to the general benefit, sold imported ones. Hanseatic offices appeared in Bruges, London, Novgorod and Reval (Tallinn).

All Hanseatic cities of the league were divided into three districts:

1) Eastern, Vendian region, to which Lubeck, Hamburg, Rostock, Wismar and the Pomeranian cities belonged - Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklam, Stetin, Kolberg, etc.

2) Western Frisian-Dutch region, which included Cologne and the Westphalian cities - Zest, Dortmund, Groningen, etc.

3) And finally, the third region consisted of Visby and cities located in the Baltic provinces, such as Riga and others.

The offices held by the Hansa in different countries, were fortified points, and their safety was guaranteed by the highest authority: veche, princes, kings. And yet the cities that were part of the union were distant from each other and often separated by non-union, and often even hostile possessions. True, these cities were for the most part free imperial cities, but, nevertheless, in their decisions they were often dependent on the rulers of the surrounding country, and these rulers were not always in favor of the Hansa, and even on the contrary, they often treated she was unkind and even hostile, of course, except in those cases when her help was needed. The independence, wealth and power of the cities, which were the focus of the religious, scientific and artistic life of the country, and to which its population gravitated, stood as a thorn in the side of these princes.

It was very difficult to keep cities, coastal and inland, scattered over the space from the Gulf of Finland to the Scheldt, and from the sea coast to central Germany, within the union, since the interests of these cities were very different, and yet the only connection between them could be precisely only common interests; the union had only one coercive means at its disposal - exclusion from it (Verhasung), which entailed the prohibition of all members of the union from having any dealings with the excluded city and should have led to the cessation of all relations with it; however, there was no police authority to oversee the implementation of this. Complaints and claims could only be brought to congresses of allied cities, which met from time to time, to which representatives from all cities whose interests required this were present. In any case, against port cities, exclusion from the union was a very effective means; this was the case, for example, in 1355 with Bremen, which from the very beginning showed a desire for isolation, and which, due to enormous losses, was forced, three years later, to again ask to be accepted into the union.

The Hansa aimed to organize intermediary trade between the east, west and north of Europe along the Baltic and North Seas. Trading conditions there were unusually difficult. Prices for goods in general remained quite low, and therefore the income of merchants at the beginning of the union was modest. To keep costs to a minimum, merchants themselves performed the functions of sailors. Actually, the merchants and their servants made up the crew of the ship, the captain of which was selected from among more experienced travelers. If the ship was not wrecked and arrived safely at its destination, bargaining could begin.

The first general congress of cities of the Hanseatic League took place in Lübeck in 1367. The elected Ganzetag (a kind of parliament of the union) disseminated laws in the form of letters that absorbed the spirit of the times, reflecting customs and precedents. The highest authority in the Hanseatic League was the All-Hanseatic Congress, which considered issues of trade and relations with foreign countries. Between meetings current affairs led by the Rath (city council) of Lübeck.

Flexibly responding to the challenges of the time, the Hanseatic people quickly expanded their influence, and soon almost two hundred cities considered themselves members of the union. The growth of the Hanse was facilitated by the equality of native languages ​​and common German, the use of a single monetary system, and residents of the cities of the Hanseatic League had equal rights within the union.

The Hanseatic League was conceived and created by trading people, but by this word one should not mean merchants in our accepted sense of the word, but only large wholesale traders; Retail merchants who offered their goods on the streets, and who correspond to the owners of modern retail stores, just like artisans, could not enroll in merchant guilds.

When a merchant became a Hanseatic, he received a lot of privileges with exemption from several local taxes. In every big city in a Hanseatic settlement, a medieval entrepreneur could obtain any information he needed: about the actions of competitors, trade turnover, benefits and restrictions in force in this city. The Hanseatic League created effective system lobbying his interests and even built a network of industrial espionage.

The Hanseatic people propagated healthy image life, introduced ideas about business ethics, created clubs for exchanging experience in business operations, and disseminated technologies for the production of goods. They opened schools for aspiring artisans and merchants. This was a real innovation for medieval Europe, which was plunged into chaos. In essence, the Hansa formed the civilizational prototype of the Europe that we know now. The Hanseatic League had neither a constitution, nor its own bureaucratic officials, nor a common treasury, and the laws on which the community was based were just a collection of charters, changing customs and precedents over time.

All work and behavior of the Hanseatic were strictly regulated - from how to train apprentices and hire a qualified craftsman to production technology, trade ethics and prices themselves. But their sense of self-worth and moderation did not betray them: in the clubs that abounded in the cities of the Hanseatic League, they often reprimanded those who threw plates on the floor, grabbed a knife, drank ruff, or played dice. Young people were reproached “... who drinks too much, breaks glass, overeats and jumps from barrel to barrel.” And I bet it was also considered “not our way.” A contemporary speaks condemningly of a merchant who pawned ten guilders on a bet that he would not comb his hair for a year. Whether he won or lost the bet, we will never know.

In addition to strictly regulated rules, large quantity cities in the composition and their free imperial position, the secret of Hanseatic prosperity was the cheapness of mass transportation. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal, dug by the serfs of Count Lauenberg between 1391 and 1398, is still in operation to this day, although it has since been deepened and expanded. It allows you to significantly shorten the distance between the North Sea and the Baltic. At one time, it replaced the old cart route from Lübeck to Hamburg, which for the first time made it economically profitable to transport bulk and other bulk cargo from of Eastern Europe to Western. So, during the Hanseatic era, Eastern European food products and raw materials flowed through the canal - Polish grain and flour, herring from Baltic fishermen, Swedish timber and iron, Russian candle wax and furs. And towards them - salt mined near Luneburg, Rhine wine and pottery, piles of wool and linen fabrics from England and the Netherlands, fragrant cod oil from the distant northern islands.

At the zenith of its glory in the 14th-15th centuries, the Hanseatic League, this unique merchant federative republic, was no weaker than any European monarchy. If necessary, he could use force and declare a trade blockade on the rebellious. But he still resorted to war in the rarest cases. However, when the Danish king Valdemar IV attacked the Hanseatic base of Visby in 1367 and began to threaten all Baltic commerce, the alliance decided to use weapons.

Gathering at Greiswald, representatives of the cities decided to turn their merchant schooners into warships. Authentic floating wooden fortresses emerged into the sea - at the bow and stern there were tall platforms, from which it was so convenient to repel the attack of an enemy coming to board.

The Hanseatic lost the first battle, but in the end the fleet of Hansa merchants took Copenhagen from the battle, plundered it, and the king was forced in 1370 to sign the Stralsund Treaty of Peace, which was humiliating for him.