215 
H A N S E A T I 
right of fhipwreck was admitted and fanftioned by its 
kings,, while the admiral glared in the infamous plunder. 
The league carried on no direft commerce with Spain, 
Portugal, Italy, and the Levant, but purchafed the pro¬ 
ductions of thofe regions in the markets of Flanders. 
In the Hanfe-to.wns, manual induftry had made no 
extraordinary progrefs; and they manufactured only 
a very coarfe kind of cloth. Their commerce falls-un¬ 
der the .defcription of what in modern times is ftyled 
the carrying-trade ; fince they purchafed cloths in Eng¬ 
land and Flanders, which they fold in the countries of 
the north and the eaft. In the fame way they dealt in 
the wines of the Rhine, the beer for which Germany was 
then noted, in. grain and malt, in the linen cloths of 
'Saxony and Weftphalia, and in certain minerals and me¬ 
tals. This comfnerce would have been much more ex- 
tenfive, had it not been checked by the reftriftions im- 
pofed on every fpeciesof induftry in the German towns: 
it was therefore of little confequence when compared 
with the exclufive trade which the members of the 
league maintained with the northern kingdoms, and the 
immenf'e regions of the rtorth-eaft of Europe. 
Though hiftory does not inform us that the league 
ever entertained any defign of aiming at fovereign au¬ 
thority, yet the city of Lubeck afpired, by means of her 
fleets and armies, to. fubjugate a territory of fufficient 
extent to enfure the durability of her power, and to 
furnilh a fixed refidence for that empire over the feas of 
which the was already in pofteffion. The objedt of the 
league in general feerns to have been, to fecure that 
portion of independence and -.libferty which if had ac¬ 
quired, to obtain additional privileges when circum- 
ftanees favoured, and to extend its commercial relations. 
The renewal of the aft of confederacy, in 14x8, informs 
us what were the principal views of the league at that 
period 1 , and what it regarded as the principal ends of its 
confederacy. This aft was decreed in a congrefs of de¬ 
puties at Lubeck, and was the firft that embraced all 
the circles to which the affociation extended. The cities 
mentioned in.this aft mutually bind themfelves to feek 
the~glory of God, and to maintain peace and order in 
the cities and territories of t’he league againft all the 
world, the emperor alone excepted ; referving alfo what 
each confederate party owes to its lawful lord in honour 
and juftice. They engage to aflift and defend each other; 
and, in cafe any member is attacked, the others are to 
attempt firft by efforts of conciliation to reftore peace, 
but, if the aggreffor refufes it,, and perfeveres in his 
holiilities, then the Injured party may demand of his 
confederates a fuccour, whether of men or money, pro¬ 
portioned to the amount which the matricide had fixed. 
If the fuccour was in men, they were to be ready in 
fourteen days to march to the fjlercity, which was bound 
to defray the expence of maintaining them. No city 
could declare war againft a neighbouring prince, lord, 
or city, without the confent and approbation of the four 
Heareft cities of the league. If two cities of the league 
had any differences, they were in no inftance to let (han¬ 
gers interfere in them, but the matter was to' be left to 
the decifion of other members of the league. The par¬ 
ties in fuch a cafe were to apprize the.regency of Lubeck 
of the affair, which named four cities of the league, who 
were to decide the procefs by friendly mediation, or by 
a formal fuit. No city had a right to enter into any 
treaty of peace without the participation of all the other 
.cities of the league. A breach of any of thefe engage¬ 
ments. fubjefted the tranfgrefling party to a fine of one 
hundred marks. 
This eompaft affords us a complete infight into the 
defign and objefts of the league. It was fimply a defen- 
live alliance formed by cities which were in a degree 
free, which were defirous of extending their privileges, 
anil which were united by a regard to their common fe- 
curity and their commercial advantages, Thefe confe¬ 
deracies owed their exiftenee to the anarchy which pre- 
C L E A G U E. 
vailed in the German empire; in which ftate of tilings, 
the weak had no refource, but in affociations fuch as 
that into which the Hanfe towns had entered. To cer¬ 
tain cities, as members of the league, were Intruded the 
change oFwatching over the fecurity of the great roads, 
of purfuing and punifhing the authors of violences, and 
the promoters of fedition and murders in great towns. 
With refp^ft to the' government of the league, the fu- 
preme authority was veiled in the deputies of cities 
legally afiembled in congrefs. There, laws and regula¬ 
tions were difcufled, enafted, and promulgated : there 
it was that judgments and decrees were pronounced on 
the differences which arofe, wnether between the mem¬ 
bers of the league themfelves, or between any of them 
and ftrangers; and to the fame body it belonged to fee 
its fentences carried into execution. 
The feat of the congrefs was not fixed, but it was ge¬ 
nerally held at Lubeck, where its archives were kept. 
This city, well fituated for commerce, and enriched by 
it, had a great afcendancy in the league, and was re¬ 
garded as its head. Numerous inftances occur, how¬ 
ever, of their meeting elfewhere, as in Hamburg, Bre¬ 
men, the cities of Lower Saxony and Weftphalia, and 
even fuch as lay without the limits of Germany. The 
time of holding the congrefs was not more fixed than 
was the place of its fitting, but was determined by cir- 
cumftances and events. A decree which pafted in 1430, 
ordained that it fhould be allembled once in three years 
at Lubeck, if its neceffities fhould not render more fre¬ 
quent meetings neceflary: .but we are informed that, in 
faft, fcarcely a year palled in which it did not aftemble. 
It was-moft commonly by the regency of Lubeck that 
the congrefs was fummoned to meet, but the councils 
of Wif mar, Roftock, and Stralfimd, fometimes perform- , 
ed the fame office. In this confederacy, the power refted 
chiefly on a fenfe of common intereft, which was kept 
alive by the conftant preffure of external danger. The 
number of deputies requifite to conftitute a legal affem- 
bly was never fixed, but the a (Tenthly itfelf at its'meet¬ 
ing determined whether it was numerous ‘enough to bind 
the confederacy by its afts. The attendance of thirty 
or forty deputies was generally deemed fufficient for 
this purpofe. 
As the external danger diminifhed, difunion began to 
prevail among the members of the league ; and power¬ 
ful cities refufed obedience to the enaftments of the fu- 
preme authority, while neither perfuafions nor threats 
were able to remove their contumacy. / The foreign fac¬ 
tories, thofe of London, Bruges, Bergen, and Novogo- 
rod, had a right to lend deputies to the congrefs of the 
league. They were allowed to make reprefentations, 
but not to take any (hare in its deliberations. The mi¬ 
ni fters pf foreign powers, thofe of the emperor, of the 
kings of France, England, Scotland, Denmark, and Swe¬ 
den, were admitted to audiences on the fame occafions. 
At Lubeck, was a hall in which the affemblies of the 
league were held, the vaft extent of which ferves to give 
an idea of its ^ncient grandeur. One of the burgo- 
mafters of Lubeck prefided on thefe occafions : on his 
right fat the deputy of Cologne, and on his left that of 
Hamburg : the others ufually had places according to 
the date of their acceffion to the confederacy. 
During the profperous days of the Hanfeatic league-, 
the objefts of dif cuflion in its ■affemblies were numerous 
and important. Commerce, an unreftrained navigation, 
franchifes, privileges of all kinds tb preferve, to extend, 
and to explain, foreign factories to fuperintend and pro- 
teft, negociations to carry on with the .feveral dates’of 
Europe, meafures to guide, to reftrain, and to reduce to 
their duty, the members of the confederacy, tumults and 
revolts to reprefs, inftruftions to demand, fnbfidies to 
furnifh and to regulate, all were definitively reported to 
the congrefs, and engaged its attention during a long 
feries of fittings. Whether meafures were carried by 
the majority of voices, or whether in fome if not in al l 
cafes 
