Hansa Middle Ages. Hanseatic League: history of foundation, participating cities, significance

trade and political union of North German cities in the XIV-XVII centuries. led by Lübeck. Carried out intermediary trade between Western, Northern and Eastern Europe. G. owned trade hegemony in Northern Europe. The decline of Greece began at the end of the 15th century. Formally it existed until 1669.

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HANSA

from middle-lower. Hansa - union, partnership) - bargaining. Union of Northern Germans cities in ch. with Lübeck, which existed in the 14th-16th centuries. (formally until 1669). G. acted as a successor to German. merchants of the 11th-13th centuries, ch. the center of its activity in Eastern Europe was Fr. Gotland (on this basis, modern bourgeois historiography identifies a special stage in the development of Greece - the “merchant city” of the 11th-13th centuries, as opposed to the “city city” of the 14th-17th centuries). Economical Geography's role consisted of monopolistic mediation between the producing regions of the North, West, and East. and partly the Center. Europe: Flanders, England and North. Germany supplied cloth, Center. Europe, England and Scandinavia - metals, North. Germany and Western coast of France - salt, East. Europe - Ch. arr. fur and wax. In addition, salted herring, wines, beer, etc. were exported to Europe. The merchants took bargaining into their own hands. mediation in conditions relates. weaknesses of the merchants of the North. and Vost. Europe, using the successes of it. colonization in Slavic countries East Europe and relying on the military. strength knightly orders (later one of them - the Teutonic - was even accepted as a member of G.). The founding of Riga and Revel - the most important points on the way to Smolensk, Polotsk and Novgorod, the emergence of German offices. merchants in Norway and their receipt of privileges for trade in Flanders during the 1st half. 13th century, the growth of Lübeck, founded on the Slavic territory - Ch. German center trade in Eastern Europe - prepared the formation of a union: in the 2nd half. 13th century agreements were concluded between Lubeck, Hamburg, Stralsund, Luneburg and others to protect the route along the straits between the North. and Baltic M., on the joint minting of coins, etc. Finished. registration of the union, which first came out under the name. "German Hansa" in 1356, occurred in 1367-70, during his victorious war against Denmark, which had dominance over the trade. way between North and Balt. m. The Treaty of Stralsund of 1370 with Denmark, securing Germany’s right to unhindered passage through the Sound and Skagerrak straits, opened the period of greatest prosperity for Greece in the 2nd half. 14 - 1st floor. 15th centuries At this time, it included up to 100 cities (according to other sources - up to 160; the boundaries of the city were never strictly delineated). The entire trading system. relations between the Hanseatic cities relied on several. offices in the main producing regions of Europe - to offices in Bruges (Flanders), Novgorod, London, Bergen (Norway), etc. Hanseatic merchants penetrated into Spain and Portugal. Trade center with internal regions of Europe (especially with the German cities of Frankfurt and Augsburg) and the main transit point on the land and (since 1398) river route between the Baltic. and Sev. seas was Lubeck. He also acted as a politician. head of the union. Here since the 2nd half. 14th century general congresses of Hanseatic cities met (albeit irregularly). Their decisions (the so-called Recesse), sealed with the seal of Lübeck, were binding on members. D. However, internal G.'s organization was vague. The union had neither its own fleet, nor troops, nor permanent finances (its military forces consisted of the fleet and troops of separate cities). Between departments There was discord and bargaining between the cities and groups of cities that were part of the city. rivalry, their interests often did not coincide (Livonian and Vendian cities). In the Hanseatic cities, the economy of which was based on Ch. arr. in trade, power was in the hands of the merchants. patriciate. In con. 14 - beginning 15th centuries There was a wave of guild uprisings against the patriciate, but they soon restored their power everywhere through united efforts. The Great Hanseatic Statute of 1418 provided for a decision. measures to combat social movements within cities of G. The value of G. for economic. European development was contradictory. Stimulating the development of text., mining. production in the west and in the center of Europe, Germany somewhat slowed down the development of these same industries in east Europe; on the other hand, thanks to trade in the east. The regions of Europe received raw materials for the development of metal processing. and jewelry craft. The import of precious metals was especially important. Concentrating trade in the hands of him. merchants, Georgia stubbornly fought against possible competitors - non-member cities of Georgia (for example, Narva) and the local merchants, who tried to engage directly. bargain. relations with external world, sought to seize the industry of its counterparty countries into its own hands (this was especially successful in Sweden). From the 2nd half. 15th century there has been a decline in G. Development of national economy, expansion of external and internal trade, strengthening the position of local merchants in England, the Scandinavian countries, in Rus' towards the end. 15 - beginning 16th centuries exacerbated Georgia's contradictions with counterparty countries. Changes in world trade also played a significant role in the decline of Greece. ways. In an effort to maintain his position and privileges in the new conditions, G. resorts to any means: interferes with internal affairs. affairs dept. states, especially Scandinavian ones, supporting rulers favorable to it, wage wars of privateering with the Dutch. However, in the end 15-16 centuries she lost her positions one after another. It was closed in 1494. courtyard in Novgorod; the office in Bruges gradually lost its importance, and in 1553 it was moved to Antwerp; in 1598 the Hanseatic people were deprived of all privileges in England. K ser. 16th century G. gave up her place to the Dutch, English. and French merchants; formally it existed until 1669. The study of geology in the 18th and 19th centuries. was a monopoly. noble and bourgeois historiography. G. F. Sartorius (1765-1828) and his followers (K. Kopman, D. Schaefer) were interested primarily. political history of G. 14-15 centuries. At the same time, in the history of Germany they looked for evidence of the Germans’ ability to “world domination”; arguments to justify Germany’s colonial aspirations; Germany was portrayed as a unity. incentive political, economic. and cultural development of counterparty countries. E. Denel later wrote in the same traditions. In 1870, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Peace of Stralsund, the Hanseatic Historical Society was organized. society (Hansische Geschichtsverein; exists to this day; its annual organ is “Hansische Geschichtsbl?tter”, since 1871). The society began publishing sources on the history of Hanseatic City, but mainly legal ones - decisions of Hanseatic congresses and charters. At the end of 19 - beginning. 20th centuries V. Shtida and others began to publish office work sources - bargaining. and customs books, etc. In the 1st half. 20th century, especially during the years of the Fasc. dictatorship, German historians continued to preach the old nationalism. views, appealing not only to political, but also economic. history of G. After the war, some Hanseatic historians abandoned these views. Among them were F. Roehrig, who studied economics. structure of Hanseatic cities. His theory about creativity. the role of trade, supposedly Ch. incentive for production, the main city-formation. force, especially in Eastern Europe, has a large number of supporters in modern times. bourgeois historiography, it is adhered to by the head of Hanseatic historiography in Germany, P. Johansen and his school. The focus of modern bourgeois historians of Georgia - the time preceding its formation, economic. German role merchants, their struggle for privileges in other countries (especially Scandinavian ones). Marxist historians (in particular, in the GDR), as opposed to the bourgeois. historiography, pay special attention to the study social structure Hanseatic cities, the role of crafts. elements, popular, especially plebeian movements (for research by historians of the GDR, see the review by K. Fritze and others in the book: Historische Forschungen in der DDR. Analysen und Berichte. Zum XI. Internationalen Historikerkongress in Stockholm August 1960, B., 1960) . Historians of the countries of the people. democracies first raised the question of the role of government for socio-economics. development of Poland, etc. Balt. countries (M. Malovist). From owls G. specialists are most interested in M.P. Lesnikov, who paid attention not to politics, but to socio-economics. history of Georgia and proved that Georgia’s trade in Eastern Europe was not of an unequal, “colonial” nature (in particular, for Novgorod). Source: Hanserezesse 1256-1530, hrsg. v. K. Koppmann, G. v. Ropp, D. Schäfer u. F. Techen, Bd 1-24, Lpz., 1870-1913; Hanserezesse 1531-1560, Bd 1, hrsg. v. G. Wentz, Weimar 1937-41; Hansisches Urkundenbuch, Bd 1-11, Halle - Lpz., 1876-1938; Quellen und Darstellungen zur Hansischen Geschichte (Hansische Geschichtsquellen, Bd 1-7; new series Bd 1-12, Halle - B.. 1875-1956); Inventare hansischer Archive des 16. Jh., Bd 1-3, Lpz.-M?nch., 1896-1913; Abhandlungen zur Handels-und Sozialgeschichte, hrsg. im Auftrag des hansischen Geschichtsvereins, Bd 1-3, Weimar, 1958-60. Lit.: Lesnikov M.P., Hanseatic fur trade at the beginning of the 15th century, "Educational journal. Moscow City Pedagogical Institute named after V.P. Potemkin." 1948, vol. 8; his, Trade relations between Veliky Novgorod and the Teutonic Order at the end of the 14th century. and beginning XV century, "IZ", 1952, vol. 39; Khoroshkevich A.L., Trade of Veliky Novgorod with the Baltic States and the West. Europe in the 14th-15th centuries, M., 1963; Lesnikov M., L?beck als Handelsplatz f?r osteurop?ische Waren im 15. Jh., "Hansische Geschichtsbl?tter", 1960, Jg. 78; Daenell E., Die Bl?tezeit der deutschen Hanse, Bd 1-2, V., 1905-1906; Sch?fer D., Die Hansest?dte und K?nig Waldemar von D?nemark, Jena, 1879; his, Die deutsche Hanse, 3 Aufl., Lpz., 1943; Goetz L. K., Deutsche-Russische Handelsgeschichte des Mittelalters, L?beck, 1922; Jesse W., Der wendische M?nzverein, L?beck, 1928; R?rig F., Wirtschaftskr?fte im Mittelalter, Weimar, 1959; Johansen P., Die Bedeutung der Hanse f?r Livland, "Hansische Geschichtsbl?tter", 1941, Jg. 65-66; Arbusow L., Die Frage nach der Bedeutung der Hanse f?r Livland, "Deutsches Archiv f?r Geschichte des Mittelalters", 1944, H. 1. Jg. 7; Schildhauer J., Soziale, politische und religi?se Auseinandersetzungen in den Hansest?dten Stralsund, Rostock und Wismar..., Bd 1-2, Weimar, 1959; his, Grundz?ge der Geschichte der deutschen Hanse, ZfG, 1963, H. 4; Fritze K., Die Hansestadt Stralsund, Schwerin, 1961; Hansische Studien. Heinrich Sproemberg zum 70. Geburtstag, V., 1961. A. L. Khoroshkevich. Moscow. -***-***-***- Hansa in the XIV - XV centuries.

The German Trade Union, which for several centuries controlled a significant part of the Baltic trade routes, did business with Veliky Novgorod, Riga and London and concluded treaties “on behalf of the entire merchant class of the Roman Empire” with special privileges for all German cities. All this - Hanseatic League, whose story will be told today by Ekaterina Astafieva.

From merchant guilds to a powerful union

Historians argue about exact date foundation of the Hansa. Some cite the year 1242 as the year Lübeck entered into a treaty with Hamburg, giving the cities control over a significant portion of the salted fish trade. Others believe that the union was founded in 1299, when the port cities of Rostock, Hamburg, Wismar, Lüneburg and Stralsund agreed to close access to the harbors to the ships of merchants who were not members of the union.

The word "Hansa" used to mean a guild of merchants

But most agree that the real date of the creation of the Hanse should be considered 1356 - it was then that a congress took place in Lübeck, at which the management structure of the Hanseatic League was formed.

Hanseatic cities and major trade routes in the XII-XV centuries. ekah

Before the founding of the union, the word “Hansa” itself meant a guild of merchants. It was as a union of merchants that the Hansa was founded. Until now, some cities in Germany have retained references to the Hanseatic League in their names. For example, Hamburg is called “The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg”, Rostock is called “The Hanseatic City of Rostock”. Accordingly, the license plates of these cities begin with an additional Latin H - HB for Bremen, HL for Lubeck.

Strong and independent

The union of merchants is quite understandable - it was safer to send common caravans, it was cheaper to maintain their own inns and offices, and it was easier to achieve privileges.

Some German cities have retained the definition of "Hanseatic"

On the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, German merchants enjoyed the protection of the emperor, but during the years of struggle for power, the cities themselves had to take care of the security of trade. Then the first regional unions began to appear. Their important goal was protection from competitors from Holland and southern Germany.

Lubeck - capital of the Hanseatic League

During the existence of the Hansa, it included about 200 cities, but only a few of them were in the union more or less permanently. Most were located in the north, on the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas. Lubeck is considered the “capital of the Hanseatic League”. In 1227 it received the status of an Imperial Free City. The Hanseatic Court of Appeal was located in Lübeck, which resolved disputes that often arose between allied merchants. Lübeck allocated a significant part of the money that went to maintaining the fleet and carried out diplomatic missions. Lübeck city law was extended throughout the Hanseatic League. Gdansk, Riga, Dorpat, Veliky Novgorod - it operated not only in German cities.

During the Hanseatic League, Lubeck was one of the most influential cities

From Hamburg to Cologne

Hamburg and Cologne enjoyed great influence in the Hansa territory. Back in the 13th century, these two cities, along with Lubeck, received from Henry III the right to trade in England, establishing a powerful colony in London. Hamburg still diligently maintains the image of a Hanseatic city. But Cologne, founded by the Romans, does not remember its Hanseatic past so often.

Hanseatic offices were located in London, Riga and Novgorod

For some time, Berlin was also part of the Hansa, but it had to leave the union in 1452 under pressure from the Brandenburg Margrave. Stendhal and Frankfurt-on-Oder failed to get rid of the influence of the Margrave. It is interesting that German feudal lords usually had a positive attitude towards the entry of cities into the Hansa - successful trading brought in good profits. In addition, cities had to pay for the status of “free”. Cities often acted as creditors and issued loans to appanage princes. One day, merchants from Cologne issued a loan to the King of England himself, for which they received his crown as collateral.

Trade and war

The Teutonic Order was also among the participants of the Hansa. The order's regular military conflicts with the Russian principalities had a negative impact on trade. In 1468, the Novgorod office moved to Narva for some time. There were cases when German merchants were taken hostage. In 1472, Sophia Paleologus, the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium and the future wife of Ivan III, arrived in Moscow along the Hanseatic route. Subsequently, he dispersed the Hanseatic office in Novgorod, confiscated the goods, and imprisoned the merchants themselves.

Ivan III dispersed the Hanseatic office in Novgorod

Trade went from Italy to Russia, from Portugal to Scandinavia. Cloth and salt, furs and wax - all this was in demand on the trade routes of the Hansa. Wine was distributed all over the world from Cologne, grain from Gdansk, and salt from Lüneburg. In London, German merchants bought English wool, which they later sold in Flanders. Furs and wax were supplied from Novgorod and Pskov. Sable was especially valued - at the beginning of the 15th century, one could get 82 ducats for a hundred sable skins in Venice. Sable furs could even serve as an independent currency.

Last days of the Hansa

TO XVI century The Hansa gradually lost its power, but the union fought until the last for its trading privileges. European princes and kings no longer needed the support and loans of foreign merchants. The German princes no longer wanted to put up with the Hanseatic freemen and forced many cities to leave the union. Important role The lack of its own banks also played a role in the collapse of the Hansa. In addition, the union insisted on a monopoly, which stimulated the development of trade and ports in other lands. All this led to the disappearance of the Hansa.

Formation and rise of the Hanseatic League

This period was generally extremely important for German shipping. In 1158, the city of Lübeck, which quickly reached a brilliant prosperity due to the increased development of trade in the Baltic Sea, founded a German trading company in Visby, on 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 imperfection of navigation, ships avoided long passages, they began to enter it all ships call, and thus it acquired great importance.

In the same year, merchants from Bremen landed in the Gulf of Riga, which marked the beginning of the colonization of the Baltic region, which was later lost by Germany when Germany's maritime power declined. Twenty years later, the Augustinian monk Meingard was sent there from Bremen to convert the natives to Christianity, and another twenty years later, the crusaders from Lower Germany arrived in Livonia, conquered this country and founded Riga. Thus, at the very time when the Hohenstaufens were carrying out numerous Roman campaigns with huge German armies, when Germany was fielding armies for the successive Crusades to the Holy Land, the Low German navigators began this vast undertaking and successfully brought it to an end. The formation of trading companies marked the beginning of the Hanse. The word "Hansa" is of Flemish-Gothic origin and means "partnership", i.e. "a union for a specific purpose with certain contributions." The first Hansa arose in Flanders, where in 1200 in the city of Bruges, which at that time was the first trading city of the north, a partnership of 17 cities was formed, with a certain charter, which conducted wholesale trade with England and was called the Flemish Hanse; This partnership, however, did not acquire political independence.

The first impetus for the formation of the German Hanse came from Visby, where in 1229 German merchants, who were representatives of many German trading cities, including the port cities of Lübeck, Bremen, Riga and Groningen and some inland cities, such as Münster, Dortmund, Zesta, concluded an agreement with the Smolensk prince; this was the first performance of the “society of German merchants”; the word "Hansa" came into use much later.

Thus, Visby gained an advantage over the German cities, but this advantage soon passed to Lubeck, which in 1226 became a free imperial city and expelled the Danish garrison. In 1234, the city was surrounded by the Danes from sea and land and began to prepare their “coggs” for battle; These ships broke the chains that blocked the Trave River, unexpectedly attacked the blockade fleet and completely destroyed it. This was the first German naval victory, moreover, won over superior forces. This major success, by which one can judge the strength and belligerence of the Lübeck fleet, gave the city the right to take a leading place. Soon, in 1241, Lubeck concluded an alliance with Hamburg to maintain a fleet at common expense in order to maintain freedom of communication by sea, that is, to perform the functions of maritime police in German and Danish waters, with police supervision mainly referring to the Danes themselves. Thus, these two cities took on one of the main tasks of the navy.

A few years later, during the war with Denmark, the Lübeck fleet devastated the Danish coast, burned the castle in Copenhagen and destroyed Stralsund, which belonged to Denmark at that time. Subsequently, this fleet, in turn, was defeated, but, nevertheless, the peace concluded in 1254 was beneficial for Lübeck. This was the beginning of that difficult time when Germany was left without an emperor, the time of the long interregnum that came with the end of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, during which horrific tyranny reigned in Germany. Until this time, German cities, when disagreements arose with foreign states, always relied on German princes, who, however, had to pay good money for the assistance they provided; from that time on, these cities had to rely only on themselves.

The art and trust earned by the “society of German merchants” created for the Germans in all places where they carried out trade, a leading position and broad privileges: in Bruges in Flanders, in London, in Bergen in Norway, in Sweden, as well as in Russia, where At that time, a very large shopping center arose in Novgorod, connected by water communication with the Neva. It was the largest city in Russia, with about 400,000 inhabitants (to end of the 19th century V. there were no more than 21,000 of them). In each of these cities, the Germans had their own office, they owned large farmsteads and even entire city blocks that enjoyed special rights, and refuges with their own jurisdiction, etc. Trade relations between the east and the west and back, mainly from Baltic Sea in Bruges and London were very extensive and generated large profits. In these offices, young German merchants lived and learned from old, experienced merchants, who here acquired skills in trading matters and worldly experience, as well as political and personal connections, which they needed in order to later become the head of a trading house or even hometown and Hansa. Large merchants and reinforcers also often came here from their homeland, who in those days often personally made larger purchases.

At this time, Lübeck, as the natural head of the union, began to conclude, without special authority, on behalf of “all the merchants of the Roman Empire,” treaties in which equal advantages were negotiated for all German cities. In contrast to the usual selfish particularism of the Germans, a broad and noble state view of the cause and consciousness of community was expressed here national interests. In any case, this success, which the national feeling triumphed over the opposing interests of individual cities, must be explained by a long stay in foreign countries, the population of which always regarded the Germans, whatever their origin, as rivals and even enemies. For there is no better way to awaken and strengthen a person’s national feeling than to send him abroad.

At the same time, under the influence of the ever-increasing power of the robber knights and due to the complete lack of public security, the Rhine city union was formed, consisting of 70 cities located in the area from the Netherlands to Basel; it was an alliance of burghers against the reigning lawlessness caused by the need for self-defense. This union energetically set to work and broke the stubbornness of many knightly castles; however, after the election of Rudolf Habsburg to the kingdom, who took decisive measures against the robber knights, this union ceased to exist.

Regarding those negotiations that preceded a closer union of cities, which later received the name Hanseatic, no information has reached us, except that in 1260 the first general congress of representatives of the Hanse took place in Lübeck, and, however, even the year of this important event in accuracy is not known. Information concerning this union is extremely scarce. The number of cities that belonged to the Hansa is indicated very differently, and they number up to 90. Some cities within the country joined the Hansa for the associated trade benefits, but only nominally, and took almost no part in its affairs.

A peculiar feature of this community was that it had no permanent organization - no central government, no general armed force, no navy, no army, not even general finance; individual members of the union all enjoyed the same rights, and representation was entrusted to the main city of the union - Lubeck, quite voluntarily, since its burgomasters and senators were considered the most capable of conducting business, and at the same time this city assumed the associated costs for the maintenance of warships . The cities that were part of the union were removed from each other and separated by those that did not belong to the union, and often even by 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, although they were German princes, were not always in favor of the Hansa and, on the contrary, they often treated her unkindly and even hostilely, of course, except in those cases when they needed her help. 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. Therefore, they tried to harm the cities whenever possible and often did this at the slightest provocation and even without it.

Thus, the Hanseatic cities had to defend themselves not only from external enemies, since all the sea powers were their competitors and would willingly destroy them, but also against their own princes. Therefore, the position of the union was extremely difficult, and it had to conduct a smart and cautious policy in relation to all interested rulers and skillfully use all circumstances so as not to perish and not allow the union to disintegrate.

To maintain within the union the cities, coastal and inland, scattered over the space from the Gulf of Finland to the Scheldt, and from the sea coast to middle Germany, it was very difficult, since the interests of these cities were very different, and yet the only connection between them could only be 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 power to supervise the execution 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 cities of the union were divided into three districts:

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

From the very beginning to the end of the existence of the Hansa, Lubeck was its main city; this is proven by the fact that the local court in 1349 was declared an appellate court for all cities, including Novgorod.

The Hansa was a product of its time, and circumstances were especially favorable for it. Mention has already been made of the skill and reliability of the German merchants, and their ability to adapt to circumstances. In those days, these qualities were all the more valuable because the Normans who inhabited England and France treated trade with contempt and had no ability for it; Nor did the inhabitants of the Baltic region - the Poles, Livonians, etc. - have them. Trade on the Baltic Sea, as at present, was very developed and was even more extensive than at present; along the entire coast of this sea there were Hanseatic offices everywhere. To this we must add that the German coastal cities, and Lubeck at their head, perfectly understood the importance of sea power and were not afraid to spend money on the maintenance of warships.

Very little is known about the Hanseatic ships; the military “coggs” have already been mentioned above; these were the largest ships on the Baltic Sea, with a displacement of up to 800 tons, a length of 120, a width of 30 and a depth of 14 feet; they had three masts with yards and their crew consisted of 250 people, half of whom were sailors; later they were equipped with 15-20 guns, half of which were 9-12 pound guns. “Frede-koggen” was the name given to ships that carried out police service near the coast and harbor; a certain fee was levied for their maintenance. All merchant ships were armed, but in later times the Hansa also had special warships. Here are a few figures that, however, date back to a later time: the Swedish flagship, taken in battle by the Lübeck fleet, was 51.2 m long and 13.1 m wide, the armament consisted of 67 cannons, not counting hand weapons; the Lübeck flagship had a keel of 37.7 m, and its greatest length was 62 meters; there were at the bow and stern tall towers, all guns from 40 to 2.5 pound gauge it carried 75, the crew included 1075 people.

The leaders of the Hanse very skillfully used favorable circumstances to take into their own hands trade in the Baltic and North Seas, make it their monopoly, eliminating all other peoples 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 were mostly 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 excellently able to use weaknesses or the predicament 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. The significance and very existence of the Hansa was based on the fact that it became necessary for the surrounding states, partly through its mediation in the delivery of necessary goods, rental of ships, loans of money, etc., so that these states found benefits in their relations with German coastal cities , - partly because the Hansa became a great force at sea.

The conditions of that time were such that when it came to acquiring or maintaining any advantages, both sides did not act particularly scrupulously; The Hansa resorted, first of all, to gifts and bribes, but often directly resorted to violence both on land and at sea, and often did this even without declaring war. Of course, it is impossible to justify violence, which is often accompanied by cruelty, but those who want to succeed must pursue an energetic policy.

The political situation in the Northern Kingdoms, in Russia, Germany and the Netherlands, that is, in the north, south, east and west, was so unstable in the Middle Ages that we cannot go into a more detailed presentation of it here; wars and alliances succeeded each other, privateering at sea, robberies on the coasts, sometimes in alliance with a famous state, sometimes in war with it, followed each other for a few years, as was the case, for example, between Denmark and Sweden. However, we will briefly describe some outstanding events, especially those that took place at sea.

In 1280, Lübeck and Visby took over the protection of trade in the Baltic Sea, that is, maritime police supervision; three years later, the Hansa formed an alliance with the Dukes of Mecklenburg and Pomerania to maintain peace against the Margraves of Brandenburg. When the Danish king Erik Glipping joined this alliance, the Norwegian king Erik "Pop Hater" suddenly seized German merchant ships and all property owned by the Germans on land. As a result of this, Lubeck, together with the Wenden cities and Riga, equipped a fleet that ruined Norwegian trade, devastated the coast and caused such losses to the country that the king was forced to conclude peace in Kalmar on October 31, 1285, pay the Hansa a military reward and provide it with significant trading advantages. When King Christopher II was expelled from Denmark, he turned to Lübeck for help, which was provided to him; he was sent back to Denmark and restored to the throne, for which he had to provide almost unlimited privileges to the German merchants. The same story happened with King Magnus of Norway, despite the fact that he was hostile to the Hansa.

As a result of the privileges enjoyed by the Hansa, Scandinavian and Russian trade completely disappeared from the Baltic Sea, and English trade took a secondary place - the Hansa ruled from the Neva to the Netherlands over the sea and over trade. At the same time, the Hansa took advantage of the cramped financial situation of Edward III and lent him money, with which he equipped a campaign in France, which ended in victory at Crecy. To secure the loan, Edward pledged wool duties and tin mines in Cornwall to the Hansa. In 1362, the Hansa wars began against Waldemar III, who created the greatness and power of Denmark. In the same year, the island of Gotland was occupied. Visby and the German courtyard in it were plundered, and a lot of blood was shed. Then the Hansa entered into an alliance with Sweden and Norway; at the beginning of May, the Hanseatic fleet appeared in the Sound, but the Hanseatic allies did not appear. Then the Hanseatic admiral Wittenberg alone attacked Copenhagen, took it, and then crossed over to Skonia, which at that time belonged to Denmark, and besieged Helsingborg. Here, however, he was surprised by the Danish fleet and lost 12 large "coggs"; the army had to hastily board the ships and return to Lübeck. Wittenberg was put on trial and executed.

After this, peace followed, which lasted for several years, but in November 1367, at a general meeting of the Hanseatic League held in Cologne, 77 cities, starting from Narva to Zirik-Zee, decided with all their might to wage war against Waldemar. A large fleet was equipped, which began by ravaging the Norwegian coast so thoroughly in April 1368 that the king began to sue for peace; After this, the fleet headed for the Sound and in May took Copenhagen, then Helsischer and forced Waldemar to leave his country. On May 24, 1370, a peace was concluded in Stralsund, according to which, regardless of the large indemnity, the Hansa was recognized as having the right to confirm the kings of the Northern States. This was a huge success, especially because it was achieved not by the forces of a powerful state, but by the forces of a union of cities.

After this unprecedented success, the Hansa, apparently, began to neglect police supervision on the seas; sea ​​robbery spread to such an extent that the cities of Wismar and Rostock found it necessary to issue letters of marque against the ships of the three northern powers. This, however, made the matter even worse, since as a result of this, a large, strong society of “Lickendelers” was formed in these cities, which became known as the “Brothers of Vitalii” or “Vitaliers”, who gave their bandit brotherhood the loud name “friends of God and enemies of the world.” " The beginnings of the Vitalier organization are hidden in the darkness of centuries, however, given the relations that prevailed in this part of the world at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, it is not difficult to guess the reasons for its emergence. Among the Vitalier pirates one could meet fugitives from Hanseatic, mainly Vendian, cities, from all parts of Germany, Dutch, Frisians, Danes, Swedes, Livonians, Kashubian Slavs, Pomeranians, French and probably also Poles. It was from such desperate heads that a peculiar pirate organization of Vitaliers arose on the Baltic island. In addition to the Hanseatic sailors, this “brotherhood”, which chose the island of Gotland as its location, included fugitives persecuted by the law, individuals who considered themselves offended and were looking for justice, easy money, the opportunity to take revenge on enemies, or simply greedy for adventure.

Following the long-standing traditions of Baltic pirates and Vikings, the Vitalier brothers maintained strict discipline within their organization. There were no other women among them except captives. Pirate skippers demanded unquestioning obedience from their sailors; violation of their orders was punishable by death. On the island of Gotland, which was under the domination of the Vitalier brotherhood, the main headquarters of the pirates was located; Here the loot was stored, here it was divided among the pirates who distinguished themselves during the expeditions, and the base of the entire pirate flotilla was located there. The local population of the island was sometimes forced to pay tribute, but the amount of the latter was relatively moderate, since the Vitaliers obtained all the basic necessities and wealth by robbing ships at sea and attacking coastal settlements. However, the Vitaliers, like all pirates of that time, were also merchants. They traded in looted goods, sometimes selling them even where their rightful owners were supposed to deliver the goods.

The activities of the Vitaliers took on the widest scope in the years when the talented leader Klaus Störtebecker was at the head of the pirate brotherhood. Together with his assistant Godecke Michels, he joined two other sea robbers - Moltke and Manteuffel. Störtebecker himself came from a plebeian family in Rostock. He began his merchant and maritime career in his youth, working in the warehouses of herring merchants in Scania, on ships plying between Reval and Bruges, and finally for large merchants in his native Rostock. Offended by his patron, unable to bear the inhumane treatment, he, like many others in those days, organized at the end of the 14th century. a riot on the ship on which he served, threw the skipper overboard and, taking command into his own hands, went to sea, wanting to take revenge for the insults inflicted on him. For organizing a riot and withdrawing the ship, Störtebecker was outlawed. The pursuit of the newly-minted pirate was entrusted to the noble townsman Wulflam from Stralsund, who, back in 1385, was entrusted with the task of combating maritime robbery by the Hanseatic League.

However, Störtebecker, distinguished by his remarkable seafaring and military abilities, was not only not caught by the Hanseatic tugs, but soon began to thoroughly annoy the merchant ships. He was especially cruel and merciless with the representatives of the ruling patriciate of the Vendian cities he caught, with whom he had personal scores.

But Störtebecker went down in history not because of his pirate outrages, but because he took up political activity. An opportunity for this presented itself in 1389, when a fierce struggle for the throne broke out in Sweden. King Albrecht, who ruled there, was not popular among the Swedish feudal lords in Germany, and was captured by Queen Margaret of Denmark and Norway. In this war, only the garrison of Stockholm remained loyal to the king, resisting the Danes. The population of Stockholm at that time consisted mostly of Germans, and in contrast to Margaret, Albrecht supported German merchants in Sweden. If the Danes captured Stockholm, the privileges of German merchants would be abolished, which, in turn, would upset the balance of power in the Baltic and hit the Hansa. The defenders of Stockholm, who had difficulty holding back the superior enemy forces, sent desperate letters to the Hansa with pleas for help.

In this situation, Lubeck turned to... the Gotlandic pirates. Störtebecker agreed to provide assistance to the Stockholm Germans and the Hanseatic League. With his flotilla, he began military operations against the Danes. Having only small and light ships, Störtebecker could not resist the heavy and well-armed Danish warships in open battle and decided to help the besieged in another way.

The assault on the city did not yield results, and the Danes moved on to a siege, trying to force the defenders to surrender by starvation. Having cut off the food supply routes from land and sea, they were already close to their goal. It became clear that only quick and decisive action could save the besieged.

One day at dawn, two groups of pirate ships suddenly appeared near Stockholm. While the first of them boldly attacked the cordon of Danish ships, the second, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the unexpected attack, slipped right next to the Danes and entered the port of Stockholm. The pirates repeated this maneuver several times and almost always with success, each time delivering food to the city’s defenders. Hence the Gotlandic pirates received the nickname Vitaliers (“breadwinners”) and went down in history under this name.

The heroic actions of the Vitaliers, their plebeian origin, the motto proclaiming social justice under which they fought - all this gained the brotherhood sympathy and popularity among the common people of the Hanseatic cities. The best proof of this is the result of the pirate attack on Wismar. In an effort to free several captured comrades and provide themselves with supplies for the winter, Störtebecker and Godecke Michels decided on what seemed like a desperate step by attacking the port of Wismar.

While the city council, taken by surprise, managed to call on other Hanseatic cities for help and mobilize the fleet subordinate to them, the victorious army of the Vitaliers had already sailed far out to sea. They were able to carry out this desperate plan only because the common people of Wismar, who were hostile to the city patriciate, assisted the legendary heroes of Stockholm in this operation. The help of the common people played a similar role when the Vitaliers captured Bergen in 1392, the then trading center of Norway. Pirates captured the local Hanseatic office and burned the city. During this operation, they captured many noble citizens of Bergen, demanding a huge ransom for their release.

At the turn of the XIV and XV centuries. The political position of the Vitaliers became rather ambiguous. On the one hand, they actively opposed the dominant social order, fighting with the ruling circles in the Hanseatic cities - the patriciate and city councils, and on the other hand, repeatedly, as was the case in Stockholm, they entered the service of one or another city, speaking out against its enemy, and often against another Hanseatic city that competed with it. Thus, the Vitaliers often acted as paid condottieri, serving in the service of the very patriciate, which they considered their main enemy.

This situation, paradoxical at first glance, was reflected, in particular, in the text of some Hanseatic acts and regulations. It often happened that the Hanseatic Congress decided to carry out some kind of armed operation in which pirates were to be used more or less openly on the side of the Hanse. At the same time, at the same congress, another decision was made aimed at eradicating piracy in the Baltic, and in particular, the destruction of the Vitaliers. For the Hanseatic merchants, who sometimes themselves did not disdain robbery, oriented their policy towards large-scale international trade, and therefore sought to ensure that, if possible, it did not encounter obstacles.

Despite the decisions taken by the Hansa to mercilessly exterminate the Vitaliers, the activities of the pirates expanded. Over time, things got to the point that not a single ship could pass through the Danish straits and make its way from the Baltic to the North Sea or back without paying a ransom to the Vitaliers. After the burning of Bergen, pirates began to rob even fishermen catching herring in the North Sea. As a result, not only trade navigation stopped there, but also fishing.

This situation began to threaten the existence of states located in the basins of the North and Baltic seas. Then the latter decided to join forces in order to put an end to maritime robbery in the common interests. However, the first expedition against pirates, organized Danish queen Margaret and the English king Richard II, failed.

The Hansa also began to be burdened by pirates. The trade losses that the Hanseatic cities suffered from sea robbery were not compensated for by the services provided by the pirates. The second expedition, this time organized by the Hanseatic cities in 1394, with the participation of thirty-five warships and three thousand knights, also did not produce the desired results.

Over time, the balance of forces in the political arena in the Baltics began to change in a direction that was very unfavorable for the Vitaliers. Unable to cope with piracy on her own, Queen Margaret turned to the Grand Master of the Crusader Order, Conrad von Jungingen, for help. At that time, this order was at the height of its power and had an excellent army and a strong navy.

When the crusaders marched on Gotland in 1398, the Vitaliers were unable to resist them. Having boarded ships, they left the Baltic forever. Expelled from their robber nest, they took refuge in the North Sea, where they captured the island of Heligoland and fortified it. However, there, at the mouth of the Elbe, they found themselves face to face with their main enemy, the Hansa. This time it was no longer just the cities of the Vendian quarter, but two powerful ports - Hamburg and Bremen, which, moreover, were not going to use the services of pirates. Both of these shopping center they didn’t want to put up with the presence of pirates almost on their doorstep.

In 1401, a large trading ship left the mouth of the Elbe, looking as if it was filled to the brim with valuable goods. The ship headed towards North Sea, heading straight for Heligoland. The lurking pirates attacked the easy and seemingly defenseless prey, but they cruelly miscalculated. It was a warship - a decoy ship disguised as a merchant ship. His large and well-armed crew began to fight the pirates. The Vitaliers were so absorbed in the battle that they did not notice how the Hamburg flotilla approached.

None of the pirate ships involved in the battle escaped unscathed; One hundred and fifty prisoners were captured, and the Vitalier nest on Heligoland was captured and destroyed. Störtebecker and Michels, who were also captured, were publicly beheaded in one of the squares in Hamburg. All other prisoners, according to medieval custom, were branded with a hot iron and imprisoned or sentenced to hard labor.

As legend has it, the masts of Störtebecker's ship were hollowed out and an alloy of pure gold was poured inside. The wealth captured on the pirate ships and at their base in Heligoland was enough not only to fully cover the costs of the expedition and compensate the Hanseatic merchants for a significant part of the losses they suffered, but also to decorate the towers of the Church of St. Nicholas in Hamburg with a golden crown.

The undead remnants of the Heligoland Vitaliers scattered throughout Germany, stubbornly pursued by the feudal lords and city authorities. However, this brotherhood finally ceased to exist only after it was defeated by Simon of Utrecht in 1432, fighting on the side of the Frisians against the Hansa, and with the conquest of Emden in 1433.

It is necessary to mention some other German naval heroes: the famous Bockelman from Danzig with six ships in 1455 defeated 16 Danish ones, which he attacked one after another, destroying 6 and capturing 6 as prizes; This was glorious feat, which justified the distinctive sign that Bockelman kept on the bow of his mainmast - a broom, which meant that he was sweeping enemies out of the Baltic Sea. In this battle he showed great tactical ability.

Next we need to name Paul Benecke from Danzig, who in 1437 captured English ships from the Vistula, and then, already in English service, fought with great success against Burgundy. His ships "Peter von Danzig" and "Mariendrache" inspired fear in all sailors. One of his many trophies is Hans Memling's famous painting in the altar of St. Mary's Church in Danzig, depicting the Last Judgment.

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, could become such a standard northern Europe. 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 was becoming increasingly large, 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 for unification main goal 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.