The Hanseatic League

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The Hanseatic League, or Hansa, was a trade confederation in northern Europe that stretched from the Baltic to the North Sea. The league dominated commercial activity from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, and had a major influence on economic structure up through the seventeenth centuries (Hibbert). The Hanseatic League had a profound impact on the trading system used today in Europe, and has been partially revived in certain European cities.

Formation
The Hansa was founded by European towns and merchant communities abroad in the late twelfth century as a way of protecting mutual trading interests (Hibbert). The League stemmed from alliances of traders and trading towns in two notable regions: the east and the west. In the east, German merchants held a monopoly over the Baltic trade, and in the west, Rhineland merchants were operative in the Low Countries and in England (Hibbert). The league was born from the merging of the different sectors, a process initiated and favored by the towns in these regions due to their vital interest in trade between the Baltic and northwestern Europe (Hibbert).

By the early 13th century north Germans had a near monopoly of long-distance trade in the Baltic (Hibbert). Lübeck, located on the Baltic, was the center ‘capital’ of the early Hanseatic League. Its …show more content…

The cities who participate refer to themselves as ‘Hansestadt’. The purpose was to revive the spirit of the League as a social and cultural alliance. Its existence encourages the exchange of culture and traditions amongst members, and in the words of the Hanseatic League president, “aims to bring about closer economic, cultural, social and national ties across Europe” (Saxe). International Hanseatic Day is celebrated annually by states, such as Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen, featuring a Hanseatic Market filled with traditional customs and atmosphere (Past is Future). The festival is commonly held in

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