I.

Introduction

Hanseatic League (German Hanse), commercial alliance of German merchants and cities, active from the mid-12th century to the mid-17th century. At its peak in the mid-15th century, the league comprised at least 80 cities and another 100 or so affiliated towns, and it monopolized all trade in the North and Baltic seas. It grew to be the largest and most successful trade association in medieval Europe in terms of both volume of trade and profit before succumbing to the growing economic might of states such as England and the Netherlands.

As an economic community rather than a military or political alliance, the Hanseatic League offered merchants and cities the benefits associated with a large unified trading bloc, while at the same time allowing members to pursue their own political interests and alliances. In that sense, the league had much more in common with modern economic entities such as the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) than with modern military alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).