406 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



had conquered Schonen, the fairest part of the kingdom, and 

 the best suited for commerce. Sclionen was the south-western 

 extremity of the peninsula. It was the greatest resort of herring 

 shoals then known. While Denmark held this province, Sweden 

 was shut out from profitable fisheries, having no place near for 

 the necessary operations of drying, smoking, salting, packing, 

 and shipping the produce. For the varied freights that the 

 Hanso traders offered Sweden she gave in exchange iron and 

 copper, timber, pitch, ashes, and hemp. The market-places 

 of Skiinor and Falsterbro monopolised the principal portion of 

 the trade. The latter was the port of the Danish island of 

 Falster, called from its fertility the orchard of Denmark. 



4. Norway. Bergen, on the Norwegian coast, was one of the 

 four foreign factories maintained by the Hanse. As a trading 

 station it was important not only to the country in which it 

 was situated, but to the league itself. Concentred in Bergen 

 was the commerce with Iceland, Greenland, the Faroes, and the 

 Scottish Isles, consisting of skins, timber, resin, feathers, her- 

 rings, salted fish, and fish oils. Bergen was not gained over by 

 Hanseates with such ease and rapidity as other towns. Some 

 privileges were granted to the settlers for services rendered 

 against the Norse pirates ; but others had to be wrested from the 

 Norwegian kings. In course of time the traders by purchase 

 obtained possession of the old town, which they joined to the 

 new one by a bridge. The factory they reared was an establish- 

 ment of great magnitude. It consisted of twenty-two courts, in 

 blocks of nine and thirteen, each court capable of accommodating 

 fifteen households. The members of the community were, as 

 we have previously stated, forbidden to marry, and subjected to 

 severe discipline. Apprentices from the Hanse Towns came to 

 Bergen, to be taught the business of a merchant. With the half- 

 barbaric customs of the age, they were made to pass through the 

 cruel ordeals of "the fire, the smoke, and the scourge," as a 

 part of their training. In spite of these precautions, the Han- 

 eeates are described as extremely licentious, and as incessantly 

 engaged in broils with the citizens. They proceeded so far in 

 1456 as to put to death the governor and the bishop who had 

 offended them, together with sixty of the inhabitants. Yet it 

 was not until 105 years later that the power of the Hanscates 

 was destroyed by the vigorous measures of the reigning sove- 

 reign (Frederick II.) of Denmark. 



5. Denmark. The attitude of Denmark to the Hanseatic 

 League was one of war rather than of trade. There was seldom 

 peace between them, each in turn being the aggressor. Valde- 

 mar III., of Denmark, in 1361 attacked Wisby, or Wisboro, a 

 wealthy Hanseatic town in Gothland. Enraged at losing 1,800 

 of his troops in the siege, he utterly destroyed the town, and 

 provoked thereby the retaliation of the Hanse. Before the year 

 .expired he received seventy-seven declarations of war from the 

 German Hanse towns. His fleet was defeated, and he was com- 

 pelled to sue for peace. Soon afterwards the war was renewed, 

 and lasted until 1370. In this interval an army of 16,000 

 citizens of Lubeck, commanded by Everhard von Mose and 

 Gotschalk von Attendorn, two of the city senators, gained 

 much renown. The Hanseates deprived Denmark of Schonen, 

 and compelled Copenhagen, Elsinore, Nykoping, and Falsterbro 

 to capitulate. 



6. The Netherlands. The Dutch were not slow to perceive the 

 benefit of union with the Hanseatic League. Dort, Haarlem, 

 Kotterdam, and Amsterdam, in Holland ; Nimegnen, Zutphen, and 

 Hardewyk, in Guelderland ; Zwolle, Campen, and Deventer, in 

 Overyssel, joined in federation. The Hanseates, on their, part, 

 were equally ready to buy and sell in the Dutch markets, using 

 their own vessels for transport. They here met foreign mer- 

 chants, with whom they carried on a considerable trade, especially 

 that connected with the Mediterranean, which was beyond the 

 reach of their own direct personal enterprise. In the South 

 Netherlands, Flanders and Brabant vied with each in the wel- 

 come they offered the Hanseates. Louis of Flanders interdicted 

 them from acting as bankers, but otherwise left commerce freely 

 open. Antwerp, in 1315, promoted a commercial treaty, under 

 the auspices of John, Duke of Brabant, and the example was 

 followed in 1360 by Ghent, Ypres, and Bruges. In all these 

 cities the Hanseatic traders were brought into contact with 

 civilisation more advanced than their own. They met with 

 institutions better than those which they themselves porsessed, 

 and learnt rew principles of business. One example, among 

 others, was that cf the Insurance Chamber at Bruges, the utility 



of which, now universally recognised, was a new discovery to 

 these Northern merchants. 



7. England. Henry III., as we have seen, permitted an entre- 

 pot under the rule of the League to be instituted in London in 

 the year 1267, and conferred upon the Hanse traders exemption 

 from the duties on grain. The Hanse community accepting these 

 terms was so numerous as to establish a government of its own, 

 consisting of an alderman, two suppliants, and nine councillors. 

 In consideration of these and other privileges, the Germans 

 undertook to maintain ono of the city gates, and to defend it 

 in time of war. 



8. France. Several French cities have been mentioned ac- 

 among the number of the Hanse towns ; very little trade, however, 

 was carried on with them. Beyond the limits of the usual Hanse 

 trade, the waters were infested with pirates. The fatal policy 

 of heavy shore dues also was blindly enforced by France. Wino 

 and salt, the chief commodities that the country could provide, 

 were to be obtained elsewhere. Rhenish wine was drunk in prefe- 

 rence to French, and was a staple commodity in the Netherlands. 



9. Spain. Cadiz and Barcelona were in alliance with the 

 league for mutual defence, but were not enrolled as members. 

 The direct trade with Spain was more limited even than that 

 with France. Indirectly, Spanish produce was obtainable through 

 the Netherlands, which country was for a long time an appanage 

 of the sovereigns of Spain. 



INFLUENCES AND UTILITY OF THE HANSE. 



In order to sustain the prestige of the league, and to enforce 

 compliance with its mandates, the noblemen and most eminent 

 burghers of every city trained themselves for cavalry service, 

 while the citizens or lower ranks formed the infantry, and were 

 armed with bows, cross-bows, battle-axes, maces, and lances. 

 Martial ardour was kept up by an annual review known uiider 

 the name of the Wapen-Shaw. In addition to citizen soldiers, 

 the largo trading towns employed mercenary troops, both horse 

 and foot, sometimes so numerous as to form an army in them- 

 selves. 



These forces were used not only to crush the German free- 

 booters, but for sea service against hostile states, and against 

 pirates. The Baltic was scoured by such " Victuallers," " Bre- 

 thren," or " Vitaliers, " whose chief seat was Embden, in Hanover, 

 and who were encouraged in their piracies by the Count of Olden- 

 burg. Hamburg, the chief sufferer from thcso pests of the sea, 

 was mainly instrumental in their extermination. 



Although barter had to be adopted in the commercial inter- 

 course of the league with the undeveloped Northern races, yet 

 coin was in extensive use, and many of the Hanseatic towns pos- 

 sessed their own mints. There was no common standard, but tha 

 coins of several of the towns were current through a large district. 

 Those of Lubeck, for example, served for Holstein, Mecklenburg, 

 Pomerania, and the Wendish towns. Gold was employed in the; 

 settlement of large accounts, and silver was often weighed by the 

 mark. The system of credit which has been such a powerful 

 stimulus to production in recent times appears scarcely to have: 

 been known. Bills of exchange were not in use, and the precious 

 metals were necessarily carried to and fro in the same way as 

 merchandise. 



Security and peace, the vital elements of commercial prosperity, 

 were the first fruits of this federation. Princes were taught thc- 

 duty of respect for property at a time whn the lesson was espe- 

 cially needed, and subjects learnt how much can be done by self- 

 dependence, perseverance, honourable dealings, and oo-operation. 

 The necessity of a code of maritime law to regulate the conduct 

 of men removed from state control, particularly in relation to 

 shipwrecks and war, had been long felt. The laws of Wisby and 

 Oleron were promulgated, the principles being gathered from the 

 earlier code of Barcelona, which, in turn, was the revival of that 

 of Rhodes, acted upon for ages by the Romans. These laws 

 regulated for many ages the commerce of Europe, and their 

 spirit animates the maritime codes of our own day. 



CAUSES OF DECLINE. 



Several causes, both direct and indirect, combined to limit 

 the duration of the league. The direct causes, which were in- 

 herent in the institution itself, may be summed up thus : 1st. 

 The purpose was served for which the league was instituted. 

 2nd. The principle of nationality was lacking. 3rd. The sphere- 

 of its action, as compared with the new areas and routes opened 

 up in the progress of maritime discovery, was too confined. 



