Hanseatic League
Also called: Hansa · Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Hanseatic League, or Hansa, was an association of north German merchant towns. Towns such as Lübeck and Hamburg worked together to protect their traders and their trade. From c. the 13th to the 15th century, the League controlled much of the trade in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. It shows how town merchants in medieval Europe grew rich and powerful enough to rival the nobility.
Example
Lübeck was the leading Hansa town. The League ran trading posts in faraway cities such as London, Bruges, Bergen and Novgorod. Through them it traded goods like furs, timber, fish and cloth.
Don't confuse with
- Guild: a guild was an association of one craft inside a single town. The Hansa was a league of whole towns spread across many regions.