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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Hanseatic_League
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1992-09-02
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German Hanse `group, society' a confederation
of N European trading cities from the 12th
century to 1669. At its height in the late
14th century the Hanseatic League included
over 160 cities and towns, among them Lubeck,
Hamburg, Cologne, Breslau, and Cracow. The
basis of the league's power was its monopoly
of the Baltic trade and its relations with
Flanders and England. The decline of the
Hanseatic League from the 15th century was
caused by the closing and moving of trade
routes and the development of nation states.
The earliest association had its headquarters
in Visby, Sweden; it included over 30 cities,
but was gradually supplanted by that headed
by Lubeck. Hamburg and Lubeck established
their own trading stations in London in 1266
and 1267 respectively, which coalesced in
1282 with that of Cologne to form the
so-called Steelyard. There were three other
such stations: Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod.
The last general assembly 1669 marked the end
of the league.