There are very few examples in world history when voluntary unions have existed for a long time. As soon as the balance in the interests of the participants was disturbed, discontent, squabbles and, as a consequence, the collapse of the association began immediately. Those rare examples when this did not happen, and the union has existed successfully for a long time, should be a role model and an incentive to learn to maintain a balance of interests. Such a standard can be Hanseatic League- Union of cities of northern Europe. It existed and developed for about four centuries against the background of wars, devastation, division of states and other ordeals.

Where did he come from?

Now no one will remember the history of the origin of its name, but it is clear that it arose due to a certain association with common goals.

The union did not emerge overnight, it was facilitated by long decades of uncoordinated work, which did not bring the desired results. Thus, thoughts arose about the need for unity for the common good. The Hanseatic League became the first trade and economic association. Merchants were not powerful enough to create favorable and unsafe conditions for trade. Robberies and thefts outside the defensive border were common at the time, and merchants faced enormous hardships.

Merchants took particular risks in other towns, since everywhere there were rules, sometimes very strict. Violation of the rules threatened with large losses. There was also a competitive struggle, no one wanted to give up their positions and lose profits.

The sales problem became ever larger, and the merchants had no choice but to conclude peace agreements. Although they were temporary, the merchant did not feel in such danger when traveling to another city.

External factors also made their own adjustments. Pirates posed a huge danger, because it was almost impossible to cope with them alone.

The rulers of the cities came to such a decision that it was necessary by joint efforts to protect the seas from invaders and to share expenses from attacks in equal shares. The first agreement on the protection of territories was signed by Lübeck and Cologne in 1241. After 15 years, Rostock and Luneburg joined the union.

After a couple of decades, Lubeck was already strong enough and spoke openly about his demands. Hansa was able to open a sales office in London. This was one of the first steps towards the huge growth of the union. Now the Hanseatic League will not only control the entire trade area, establishing its own rules, but also have influence in the political field. Many cities could not withstand the imperative pressure of the unification and simply surrendered.

Union of merchants

Now the merchants could enjoy power. Another confirmation of their power was the signing in 1299 of an agreement that from now on the sailing ship of a merchant who was not part of the Hansa would not be serviced. This forced even opponents of the union to join the union.

In 1367, the number of participants was already about eighty. All offices of the Hanseatic League were fortified general rules who defended themselves from local authorities in a foreign land. Their own possessions were the main goal for unification and were jealously guarded. All competitors' actions were carefully monitored, and measures were taken immediately.

The loss of influence of the Hansa was provoked by the state of fragmentation in which Germany was located. At first, this played a positive role for the possibility of unification, but with the development of the Moscow state, and then England, it went to the detriment of the Hanseatic League. It also led to a disruption in the functioning of the union and the lag of north-eastern Europe.

Despite all the shortcomings, the Hanseatic League is still remembered, and many memorials have been preserved about it, which will forever remain in world history.

It is not known exactly how the name "Hansa" came about. There are at least two versions among historians. Some believe that Hansa is a Gothic name and means "a crowd or a group of comrades", others believe that it is based on a middle German word translated as "union or partnership". In any case, the idea of ​​the name implied a kind of "unity" for the sake of common goals.
The history of the Hansa can be counted from the bookmark in 1158 (or, according to other sources, in 1143) of the Baltic city of Lubeck. Subsequently, it was he who would become the capital of the union and a symbol of the power of German merchants. Before the founding of the city, these lands for three centuries were the zone of influence of the Norman pirates who controlled the entire coast of this part of Europe. For a long time, light, deckless Scandinavian boats, the designs of which were adopted by German merchants and adapted for the transport of goods, reminded of their former strength. Their capacity was small, but maneuverability and speed were quite satisfactory for merchant-seafarers until the XIV century, when they were replaced by heavier multi-deck vessels capable of carrying much more goods.
The union of Hanseatic merchants did not form immediately. This was preceded by many decades of understanding the need to combine their efforts for the common good. The Hanseatic League was the first trade and economic association in the history of Europe. By the time of its formation, there were over three thousand shopping centers on the coast of the northern seas. The low-powered merchant guilds of each of the cities could not single-handedly create conditions for safe trade. In fragmented Germany, torn apart by internecine wars, where the princes did not hesitate to trade with ordinary robbery and plunder to replenish their treasury, the position of the merchant was not very enviable. In the city itself, he was free and respected. His interests were defended by the local merchant guild, here he could always find support in the person of his fellow countrymen. But, going beyond the city defensive ditch, the merchant was left alone with many difficulties that he encountered on the way.

Even when he arrived at his destination, the merchant was still taking great risks. Each medieval city had its own laws and strictly regulated rules of trade. Violation of sometimes one, even insignificant, point could threaten with serious losses. The scrupulousness of local legislators reached the point of absurdity. They established how wide the cloth should be or the depth of the clay pots, from what time a trade could start and when it should end. Merchant guilds were jealous of competitors and even ambushed the approaches to the fair, destroying their goods.
With the development of cities, the growth of their independence and power, the development of crafts and the introduction of industrial methods of production, the problem of marketing became more and more urgent. Therefore, merchants increasingly resorted to concluding personal agreements among themselves for mutual support in a foreign land. True, in most cases they were temporary. Cities often quarreled, ruined each other, burned, but the spirit of enterprise and freedom never left their inhabitants.
External factors also played an important role in the unification of cities in the Hansa. On the one hand, the seas were full of pirates, and it was almost impossible to resist them alone. On the other hand, Lubeck, as the emerging center of the "partnership", had major competitors in the person of Cologne, Munster and other German cities. Thus, the English market was practically occupied by Cologne merchants. With the permission of Henry III, they founded their own office in London in 1226. The Lubeck merchants did not remain in debt. In the next year, Lubeck seeks from the German emperor the privilege of being called imperial, which means that he becomes the owner of the status of a free city, which allowed him to independently conduct his trade affairs. Gradually, it became the main transshipment port in the Baltic. Not a single ship sailing from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea could pass its harbor. The influence of Lübeck is further strengthened after local merchants took control of the Lüneburg salt mines located near the city. Salt in those days was considered almost a strategic commodity, the monopoly of which allowed entire principalities to dictate their will.
Hamburg took the side of Lübeck in the confrontation with Cologne, but it took many years before these cities concluded an agreement among themselves on the protection of their trade. The first article of the agreement, signed in the Lübeck City Hall, read: "If robbers and other evil people rise up against our or their townspeople ... then we, on the same basis, must participate in the expenses and expenditures for the destruction and extermination of these robbers." The main thing is trade, without obstacles and restrictions. Each city was obliged to defend the sea from pirates "according to the power of opportunity, so as to cope with their trade." Lüneburg and Rostock joined them 15 years later.
By 1267, Lubeck had already accumulated enough strength and resources to openly declare its claims to a part of the English market. In the same year, using all his influence at the royal court, Hansa opens a sales office in London. From that time on, a powerful force began to resist the merchants from Scandinavia in the vastness of the North Sea. Over the years, it will grow stronger and grow a thousandfold. The Hanseatic League will not only determine the rules of trade, but often actively influence the balance of political forces in the border countries from the North to the Baltic Seas. He collected power bit by bit - sometimes amicably, concluding trade agreements with the monarchs of neighboring states, but sometimes with the help of violent actions. Even such a city as large by the standards of the Middle Ages as Cologne, which was a monopoly in German-English trade, was forced to surrender and sign an agreement to join the Hansa. In 1293, 24 cities formalized their membership in the "partnership".

UNION OF HANSEAN MUCHERS

Lubeck merchants could celebrate a complete victory. A vivid confirmation of their strength was the agreement signed in 1299, in which representatives of Rostock, Hamburg, Wismar, Luneburg and Stralsund decided that "henceforth they will not serve the sailing vessel of that merchant who is not included in the Hansa." It was a kind of ultimatum to those who have not yet joined the union, but at the same time it was a call for cooperation.
From the beginning of the 14th century, the Hansa became a collective monopoly of trade in northern Europe. One mention by a merchant of his involvement in it served as the best recommendation for new partners. By 1367, the number of cities - members of the Hanseatic League increased to eighty. In addition to London, there were trade missions in Bergen and Bruges, Pskov and Venice, Novgorod and Stockholm. German merchants were the only foreign merchants who had their own trading compound in Venice and for whom the northern Italian cities recognized the right to freely sail in the Mediterranean.
The offices that the Hansa maintained were fortified points common to all Hanseatic merchants. In a foreign land, they were protected by privileges from local princes or municipalities. As guests of such trading posts, all Germans were subject to strict discipline. Hansa very seriously, jealously guarded her possessions. A system of espionage was developed in almost every city where the union's merchants traded, and even more so in the border administrative centers that were not included in its composition. Almost immediately it became known about any actions of competitors directed against them.
Sometimes these trading posts dictated their will to entire states. As soon as the rights of the union were infringed in any way in the Norwegian Bergen, restrictions on the supply of wheat to this country immediately came into force, and the authorities had no choice but to back down. Even in the west, where Hansa had dealings with stronger partners, she managed to knock out significant privileges for herself. For example, in London, the "Deutsche Yard" owned its own berths and warehouses and was exempt from most of the taxes and fees. They even had their own judges, and the fact that the Hanseatic people were entrusted with guarding one of the gates of the city speaks not only of their influence on the English crown, but also of the undoubted respect they enjoyed in the British Isles.
It was at this time that the Hanseatic merchants began to organize their famous fairs. They took place in Dublin and Oslo, Frankfurt and Poznan, Plymouth and Prague, Amsterdam and Narva, Warsaw and Vitebsk. Dozens of European cities were eagerly awaiting their opening. Sometimes it was the only opportunity for local residents to buy whatever their heart desires. Here they bought what families, denying themselves what they needed, saved money for many months. The shopping arcade was bursting with an abundance of oriental luxury, sophisticated and exotic household items. There, Flemish linen met English wool, Aquitanian skins with Russian honey, Cypriot copper with Lithuanian amber, Icelandic herring with French cheese, and Venetian glass with Baghdad blades.
The merchants were well aware that timber, wax, furs, rye, timber from Eastern and Northern Europe had value only when they were re-exported to the west and south of the continent. In the opposite direction were salt, cloth, wine. This system, simple and strong, ran into many difficulties, however. It was these difficulties that had to be overcome that fused together the totality of the cities of the Hansa.
The union has been tested for strength many times. After all, there was a certain fragility in him. The cities - and their number during the heyday reached 170 - were far from each other, and the rare meetings of their delegates to general ganzatags (seims) could not resolve all the contradictions that periodically arose between them. Neither the state nor the church stood behind the Hansa, only the population of the cities, who were jealous of their prerogatives and proud of them.
Strength stemmed from a commonality of interests, from the need to play the same economic game, from belonging to a common "civilization" involved in trade in one of the most populous maritime spaces in Europe. An important element of unity was and mutual language, which was based on Low German, enriched with Latin, Polish, Italian and even Ukrainian words. Merchant families turning into clans could be found in Reval, and in Gdansk, and in Bruges. All these bonds gave birth to cohesion, solidarity, common habits and common pride, common limitations for all.
In the rich cities of the Mediterranean, everyone could play their own game and fight fiercely with their fellows for influence on the sea routes and the provision of exclusive privileges when trading with other countries. In the Baltic and the North Sea, this was much more difficult to do. Revenues from heavy, high-volume, low-cost cargo remained modest, while costs and risk were far from high. Unlike large shopping centers in southern Europe, such as Venice or Genoa, merchants from the northerners had a profit rate of 5% at best. In these parts, more than anywhere else, it was required to accurately calculate everything, make savings, and foresee.

START OF SUNSET

The apogee of Lubeck and related cities fell on quite late time- between 1370 and 1388. In 1370, the Hansa took over the king of Denmark and occupied the fortresses on the Danish straits, and in 1388, as a result of a dispute with Bruges, after an effective blockade, she forced this rich city and the government of the Netherlands to capitulate. However, even then the first signs of a decline in the economic and political power of the union were outlined. Several decades later, they will become more evident. In the second half of the 14th century, a severe economic crisis broke out in Europe after a plague epidemic swept across the continent. In the annals of history, she entered as the Black Pestilence. True, despite the demographic decline, the demand for goods from the Baltic Sea basin in Europe has not decreased, and in the Netherlands, which has not been greatly affected by the pestilence, even increased. But it was the price movement that played a cruel joke on Hansa.
After 1370, prices for cereals began to gradually fall, and then, starting in 1400, the demand for furs also fell sharply. At the same time, the demand for industrial products increased significantly, in which the Hanseatic people practically did not specialize. In modern terms, raw materials and semi-finished products were the basis of the business. To this can be added the incipient decline of the distant, but so necessary for the economy of the Hansa, gold and silver mines in the Czech Republic and Hungary. And, finally, the main reason for the beginning of the decline of the Hansa was the changed state and political conditions in Europe. In the zone of trade and economic interests of the Hansa, territorial national states are beginning to revive: Denmark, England, the Netherlands, Poland, the Moscow state. With the strong support of those in power, the merchants of these countries began to crowd out the Hansa throughout the entire North and Baltic Seas.
True, the encroachments did not go unpunished. Some cities of the Hanseatic League stubbornly defended themselves, as did Lübeck, who, back in 1470-1474, took over England. But these were rather isolated cases, most of the other cities of the union preferred to negotiate with new merchants, re-divide the spheres of influence and develop new rules for interaction. The union had to adapt.
The Hansa received its first defeat from the Muscovite state, which was gaining strength. Her ties with Novgorod merchants spanned more than three centuries: the first trade agreements between them date back to the 12th century. For such a long period of time Veliky Novgorod became a kind of outpost of the Hansa not only in the north-east of Europe, but also in the lands of the Slavic peoples. The policy of Ivan III, who sought to unite the fragmented Russian principalities, sooner or later had to come into conflict with the independent position of Novgorod. In this confrontation, the Hanseatic merchants took an outwardly wait-and-see attitude, but secretly actively helped the Novgorod opposition in the struggle against Moscow. Here the Hansa put its own, primarily commercial, interests at the forefront. It was much easier to get privileges for oneself from the Novgorod boyars than from the powerful Moscow state, which no longer wanted to have trade intermediaries and lose profits when exporting goods to the West ...

RUSSIA THROUGH THE EYES OF EUROPEAN TRAVELERS AND DIPLOMATS

Gilbert de Lannois,
Flemish knight, adviser and chamberlain to the Duke of Burgundy Jean the Fearless, visited Veliky Novgorod in 1413, describing his impressions in the book "Travels of Gilbert de Lannoy to the eastern lands of Europe":
“Veliky Novgorod is an amazingly large city; it is located in a large plain surrounded by large forests and in a low area among waters and marshes ...
Inside the mentioned city live many big lords, whom they call boyars, and there are such townspeople who own land 200 leagues (a little less than 1000 km.) In length, are rich and powerful amazingly ...
They have a market in their city where they sell and buy women for themselves, having the right to do so (but we, true Christians, would never dare to do this in our life), and they buy their women one instead of the other for a piece or two silver as come together - so that one gives enough to the other ...
Women wear hair, braided in 2 braids, hanging from the back on the back, while men wear one braid. I was nine days in this city, and the said bishop sent me every day more than 30 people with bread, meat, fish, beech nuts, leeks, beer and honey, and the aforementioned thousand and mayors gave me the weirdest and most amazing dinner of all. ever seen by me.
It was so cold that winter that it would be interesting to talk about the cold that was there, because I had to go in the cold ... how trees crack and split from top to bottom from frost.
There it happens to see how frozen blocks of horse droppings scatter upward from the frost. And when we had to sleep in the desert at night, we found our beard, eyebrows and eyelids frozen from the breath of a human and full of ice, so that, when we woke up, we could barely open our eyes. "

AMBROGIO CONTARINI,
a noble Venetian, in 1474 was sent to Persia by the Venetian Republic on a diplomatic mission. Returning from Persia, Contarini at the end of 1476 visited Russia, including Moscow, where he spent four months and was received personally by Ivan III.
He described his impressions of Russia in the notes "Travel to Persia":
“The city of Moscow stands on a small hill; her castle and the rest of the city are made of wood. The river, called Moscow, runs through the middle of the city and has many bridges. The city is surrounded by forests.
The country is extremely rich in different varieties of grain .... The country is very cold ... At the end of October, the river that flows in the middle of the city freezes over. They build shops on the river - all trade takes place here.
In November, cattle are slaughtered and whole carcasses are brought into the city for sale. It is pleasant to see a large number of peeled cow carcasses, set on their feet on the ice of a frozen river.
They have no such fruits, apart from a small amount of cucumbers, hazelnuts and wild apples.
It is necessary to make supplies in winter, because then it is easy to transport by sleigh; in the summer - terrible mud ...
They have no wine, but they drink a honey drink made with hop leaves; it's a good drink. The Grand Duke forbade making these wines. "
“They trade with the greatest deceit and deceit. They sell everything to foreigners at a higher price. "

SIGIZMUND VON HERBERSHTEIN,
Austrian diplomat, in 1517 and 1526 visited Russia with diplomatic missions. After spending a total of about a year in the country, in 1549 he published the book Notes on Moscow Affairs. It was considered the most detailed and reliable description of the Russians and the Russian state made by a foreigner until the 19th century.
About power:
“Of the sovereigns who now rule over Russia, the first is the Grand Duke of Muscovy, who owns most of it; the second is the Grand Duke of Lithuania; the third is the king of Poland, who now rules over both Poland and Lithuania. "
About Russian merchants:
“They trade with the greatest deceit and deceit. When buying foreign goods, they always cut their price by half. They sell everything to foreigners at a higher price. If during a deal you inadvertently say something, promise something, they will remember it exactly and insistently demand the fulfillment of the promise, and they themselves very rarely fulfill what they promise.
They have a custom to put themselves as an intermediary between the seller and the buyer, and, taking gifts separately from both sides, both promise their faithful assistance. "
About Holidays:
“Eminent men honor the holidays by having a feast and drunkenness at the end of the service and putting on elegant white robes, while ordinary people mostly work, saying that celebrating and refraining from work is an urban affair.
Citizens and artisans attend the service, at the end of which they return to work, believing that doing work is more charitable than wasting wealth and time on drinking, playing, and the like.
A person of a simple rank is forbidden drinks: beer and honey, but they are still allowed to drink on some especially solemn days, such as the Nativity of the Lord and other days, on which they abstain from work, of course, not out of piety, but rather for drunkenness. " ...

CLIMENT ADAMS,
the second captain of the ship "Edward Bonaventure" in the expedition of Richard Chancellor, visited Russia in 1553-1554 and presented his impressions in the book "English Journey to the Muscovites":
“The space of Moscow is equal, as we say, to the size of London with its suburbs. There are many buildings, but without any comparison with ours; there are also many streets, but they are not beautiful and do not have stone pavements; the walls of the buildings are wooden, the roofs are covered with shingles. A beautiful and well-fortified castle adjoins the city ... There are 9 pretty beautiful monasteries in the castle ...
The Russian tolerates the cold above all likelihood and is content with the smallest amount of food. When the ground is covered with deep snow and has become ossified from a severe frost, the Russian hangs his cloak on stakes, from the side from which the wind blows and snow falls, lights up a small flame and lies down with his back to the wind; the same cloak serves as a roof, a wall and everything.
This snow dweller draws water from the frozen river, spreads oatmeal in it, and dinner is ready. When he is full, he immediately settles down and rests under the fire. The frozen ground serves as a down jacket for him, and a stump or stone as a pillow.
His constant companion, the horse, eats no better than his hero. This truly fighting life of the Russians under the icy sky of the North is what a strong reproach to the effeminate effeminacy of our Princes, who, in an incomparably better climate, use warm boots and fur coats! ..
If anyone is caught stealing, they are imprisoned and flogged with rods. They don't hang for the first blame, as we do, and this is called the law of mercy. Whoever gets caught another time, his nose is cut off and his forehead is branded; for the third blame they hang. There are so many purses pulling out of their pockets that, if the justice had not pursued them with all severity, there would have been no way from them ”.

JACQUES MARGERETTE,
a professional mercenary soldier who served in the Russian service during the Time of Troubles (1600-1606, 1608-1611), described his impressions in the book "The State of the Russian State and the Grand Duchy of Moscow":
“For some time now, after they threw off the yoke of the Tatars and the Christian world learned something about them, they began to be called Muscovites - according to the main city of Moscow, which bears the princely title, but not the first in the country, since the sovereign was once called the Grand Duke Vladimir and now still calls himself the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow.
Therefore, it is erroneous to call them Muscovites, and not Russians, as not only we, who live in the distance, but also their closer neighbors do. They themselves, when asked what nation they are, answer: Russac, i.e. Russians, and if they are asked where from, they answer: is Moscova - from Moscow, Vologda, Ryazan or other cities ...
The Emperor grants everyone freedom of conscience in the practice of rituals and beliefs, with the exception of Roman Catholics. They do not admit a single Jew since Ivan Vasilyevich, nicknamed the Terrible, ordered to collect all of them, as there were in the country, and, having tied their hands and feet, lead them to the bridge, ordered them to renounce their faith and made them say that they want to be baptized and believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and at the same moment ordered them all to be thrown into the water ...
Among them there are many elderly people, 80-, 100- or 120-year-olds. Only at this age are they susceptible to disease. They do not know what a doctor is, unless the emperor and some of the chief nobles.
They also consider many things that are used in medicine to be unclean, among other things, they are reluctant to take pills; as for the flushing agents, they hate them, as do musk, civet and the like.
But if commoners get sick, they usually take vodka for a good sip and pour a charge of arquebus powder or a head of crushed garlic there, stir it, drink and immediately go to the steam room, so hot that it is almost impossible to endure, and stay there until they sweat for an hour. or two, and so they do in every illness. "

JACOB REITENFELS,
a native of Courland, a diplomat who was in Russia in 1670-1673, he described his impressions in the essay "Legends to the Most Serene Duke of Tuscany Kozma the Third about Muscovy":
“Moschs are very capable of enduring all kinds of difficulties, since their bodies are tempered from birth by the cold. They calmly endure the harshness of the climate and are not at all afraid to go out with their heads open in the snow or rain, as well as in the heat, in a word, in any weather.
Children three or four years old, often in the most severe frosts, walk barefoot, barely covered with linen clothes and play in the yard, running in runs ... The consequence of this is the famous hardened bodies, and men, although not giants in height, are good and strongly built, of which some, completely unarmed, sometimes fight with bears and, grabbing by the ears, hold them until they are exhausted; then they, completely subordinate and lying at their feet, put on a muzzle ...
The appearance of women is somewhat more graceful, but their face is round, their lips protrude forward and their eyebrows are always tinted, and the whole face is painted, because they all use rubbing. The habit of blushing is considered, by force of habit, so necessary that a woman who did not want to paint her face would be considered arrogant and striving to distinguish herself from others, because she de boldly considers herself quite beautiful and elegant and without paint and artificial embellishments.
Therefore, most women devote a lot of work to this empty occupation, but in retaliation for this fake beauty, as they approach old age, they have faces furrowed with wrinkles, so much they whiten and blush him, ugly in its natural form, although I cannot deny that and the Russians have their own Venuses.
However, they pretend to be modest, act straight and very slowly due to high heels. Their hands, they say, are very gentle and, perhaps, softer than cotton wool, since they really hardly do any homework, a little bit rough work. "

MARQUISE ASTOLPH LOUIS LEONOR DE CUSTIN,
a French aristocrat who visited Russia published the book "Russia in 1839" (This work has preserved the glory of one of the most Russophobic works about Russia for two centuries).
About Moscow:
“... of all European cities, Moscow is the broadest field of activity for the high society libertine. The Russian government is well aware that under autocratic power, an outlet for rebellion in any area is necessary, and, of course, prefers rebellion in the moral sphere than political unrest. This is the secret of the licentiousness of some and the connivance of others. "
About aristocrats:
"In Russia, high society ladies and gentlemen know how to conduct a conversation with that laid-back courtesy, the secret of which we, the French, have almost completely lost ... If this is a consequence of despotic power, long live Russia."
About the peasants:
“The meek and at the same time fierce appearance of the Russian peasants is not devoid of grace; stateliness, strength, broad shoulders, a meek smile on their lips, a mixture of tenderness and ferocity, which is read in their wild, sad gaze - all this gives them an appearance that is just as different from the look of our farmers ... There is some kind of obvious , but inexplicable charm, a combination of eastern languor with the romantic dreaminess of northern peoples. "
About Petersburg:
“Because of the emptiness that reigns here everywhere, the monuments seem tiny; they are lost in endless spaces. Even Alexander's column, towering over the Winter Palace, resembles a peg driven into the ground. Imagine a fenced space in which a hundred thousand people can carry out maneuvers, and at the same time there will be a lot of free space: in such open spaces, nothing can look huge. If a crush ever begins here, it will end in disaster; in a society like this, the crowd will create a revolution. "
About officials:
“Russia is ruled by a class of officials ... and often runs contrary to the will of the monarch ... the autocrat of all Russia often remarks that he is not at all as omnipotent as they say, and with surprise, in which he is afraid to admit to himself, he sees that he has power limit. This limit is set by the bureaucracy ... ".
About the Russian nation:
“The Russian people are immensely dexterous: after all, this human race ... was pushed to the very pole ... Anyone who could penetrate deeper into the providences of Providence, perhaps, would come to the conclusion that the war with the elements is a severe test, which the Lord wished to expose this chosen nation, in order to one day exalt it above many others. "
About his book:
“There is no need to convict me of contradictions, I noticed them before you, but I don’t want to avoid them, for they are inherent in things themselves; I say this once and for all. How can I give you a real idea of ​​everything that I describe, if not contradicting myself on every word? "

With the loss of independence by the Novgorod Republic in 1478, Ivan III also liquidated the Hanseatic settlement. After that, a significant part of the Karelian lands, which were in the possession of the Novgorod boyars, became part of the Russian state, together with Novgorod. Since that time, the Hanseatic League has practically lost control over exports from Russia. However, the Russians themselves were not able to take advantage of all the advantages of independent trade with the countries of northeastern Europe. In terms of the quantity and quality of ships, the Novgorod merchants could not compete with the Hansa. Therefore, export volumes decreased, and Veliky Novgorod itself lost a significant part of its income. But the Hansa was also unable to compensate for the loss of the Russian market and, above all, access to strategic raw materials - timber, wax and honey.
She received the next strong blow from England. Strengthening her sole power and helping English merchants to free themselves from competitors, Queen Elizabeth I ordered the liquidation of the Hanseatic trading yard "Stilard". At the same time, all the privileges enjoyed by German merchants in this country were also destroyed.
Historians attribute the decline of the Hansa to Germany's political infantilism. The fragmented country initially played a positive role in fate Hanseatic cities- they simply did not interfere with uniting. The cities, initially rejoicing in their freedom, remained left to themselves, but in completely different conditions, when their rivals in other countries enlisted the support of their states. An important reason for the decline was the obvious economic lag of northeastern Europe from western Europe by the 15th century. Unlike the economic experiments of Venice and Bruges, the Hansa still oscillated between natural exchange and money. Cities rarely resorted to loans, focusing mainly on their own funds and efforts, little trust in bill settlement systems and sincerely believed only in the power of the silver coin.
The conservatism of the German merchants, in the end, played a cruel joke on them. Unable to adapt to the new realities, the medieval "common market" gave way to associations of merchants exclusively on the basis of the national principle. Since 1648, the Hansa finally loses its influence on the alignment of forces in the field of maritime trade. The last gunzentag could hardly be assembled until 1669. After a heated discussion, without having settled the accumulated contradictions, the majority of the delegates leave Lubeck with the firm conviction never to meet again. Henceforth, each city wished to conduct its own trade affairs independently. The name of the Hanseatic cities was preserved only for Lubeck, Hamburg and Bremen as a reminder of the former glory of the union.
The disintegration of the Hansa was objectively ripening in the depths of Germany itself. By the 15th century, it became obvious that the political fragmentation of the German lands, the arbitrariness of the princes, their feuds and betrayals became a brake on the path of economic development. Individual cities and regions of the country gradually lost their established ties for centuries. Between eastern and western lands there was practically no exchange of goods. The northern regions of Germany, where sheep breeding was mainly developed, also had little contact with the industrial southern regions, which increasingly focused on the markets of the cities of Italy and Spain. The further growth of world trade relations of the Hansa was hampered by the absence of a single domestic national market. It gradually became apparent that the power of the union was based more on the needs of foreign rather than domestic trade. This tilt finally "drowned" it after neighboring countries began to develop capitalist relations more and more actively and actively defend domestic markets from competitors.

BUT HISTORY TEACHES ...

The history of the existence of the Hanseatic League, its experience, mistakes and achievements are very instructive not only for historians, but also for modern politicians. Much of what raised him and then cast him into oblivion is repeated in recent history Europe. Sometimes the countries of the continent in their striving to create a lasting alliance and thus achieve advantages in the world arena make the same mistakes as the Hanseatic merchants did many centuries ago.
One of these lessons is being taught again in an amazing way by modern politicians and economists both in the West and in Russia. The problem of the Kaliningrad enclave on the territory of the expanding European Union resembles the situation that arose more than six centuries ago, when the intractability of the Hansa and the Russian state led to the severance of economically beneficial ties between them. Today, the European Union, not wishing to make concessions, is also provoking Russia to take adequate steps. In fact, the system of double standards sprouted again, which seemed to be a relic of the Cold War and proved its futility. By imposing restrictions on the free movement of goods and people from Kaliningrad to the mainland, the EU is once again dividing peoples into their own and aliens. In the context of growing global economic integration, such a position will inevitably lead to conflict. In the near future, this will undoubtedly affect the rates of economic growth in the eurozone, given that today Russia is one of the largest suppliers of energy resources to the EU countries. Without Russian gas, oil and timber, Europe will not be able to fully build its independent economic policy in the world. And this will inevitably undermine its attractiveness in the tough struggle for investment with the United States and the growing young economies of Southeast Asia and Latin America ...
Over the centuries, the vast experience of the Hansa has not been in demand. More than two centuries passed from the time of its official disintegration, before the first not political, but economic union of states appeared in Europe. Already after the Second World War, in 1951, on the ruins of former political ambitions, six states of the continent - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands established the European Coal and Steel Community. It was once again based on the principles of free trade and harmonization of interests. The success of this agreement inspired the participating countries to extend the integration process to other spheres of the economy. Six years later, the European Economic Community was established in Rome, which laid the foundation for the modern European Union.
In modern Germany - as a reminder of its former glory - the East German city of Rostock is officially called the Hanseatic Rostock. The football team existing in the city is called "Hansa". In Tallinn, the heir to the trade traditions of the Hanseatic Revel, a meeting of the mayors of the cities, whose fate several centuries ago was inextricably linked with the Hansa, was held. One of the dominant theses of almost all the reports of the meeting participants was the idea of ​​transforming the Baltic, on the shores of which more than 50 million people live today, into a special economic super-region. The ideas of the Hansa are once again occupying the minds of politicians and entrepreneurs, transforming into concrete projects of pan-European integration.

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"History of Economics"

"Hanseatic Trade Union"

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Introduction

Chapter 2. Hanseatic League and Russia

2.1 Hanseatic League and Pskov

2.2 Hanseatic League and Novgorod

Chapter 3. Decline of the Hanseatic League

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

In world history, there are not many examples of voluntary and mutually beneficial alliances concluded between states or any corporations. In addition, the overwhelming majority of them were based on self-interest and greed. And, as a result, they turned out to be very short-lived. Any violation of interests in such an alliance invariably led to its collapse. Such rare examples of long-term and lasting coalitions, where all actions were subordinated to the ideas of cooperation and development, such as the Hanseatic Trade Union, become all the more attractive for understanding, as well as for drawing instructive lessons.

This community of cities has become one of the most important forces in Northern Europe and an equal partner of sovereign states. However, since the interests of the cities that were part of the Hansa were too different, economic cooperation did not always turn into political and military ones. However, the undeniable merit of this union was that it laid the foundations of international trade.

The political relevance of the topic under study lies in the fact that the history of the existence of the Hanseatic League, its experience, mistakes and achievements are very instructive not only for historians, but also for modern politicians. Much of what elevated him and then cast him into oblivion is repeated in the modern history of Europe. Sometimes the countries of the continent, in their striving to create a lasting alliance and thus achieve advantages in the world arena, make the same miscalculation as the Hanseatic merchants did many centuries ago.

The aim of the work is to describe the history of the existence of the most powerful medieval trade union in Europe. Objectives - to consider the reasons for the emergence of the Hanseatic Trade Union, its activities during its heyday (XIII-XVI centuries), as well as the reasons for the collapse.

Chapter 1. The emergence and flowering of the Hanseatic League

The formation of the Hansa, which dates back to 1267, was the response of European merchants to the challenges of the Middle Ages. A fragmented Europe was a highly risky business field. On the trade routes pirates and robbers ruled, and what could be saved from them and brought to the counters was taxed by the princes of the church and appanage rulers. Everyone wanted to profit from the entrepreneurs, and regulated robbery flourished. The rules, brought to the point of absurdity, allowed to take penalties for the "wrong" depth of an earthen pot or the width of a piece of cloth.

Despite all this, German maritime trade had already reached a significant development in those days; already in the 9th century, this trade was conducted with England, the Northern states and with Russia, and it was always carried out on armed merchant ships. About 1000 the Saxon king thelred gave the German merchants considerable advantages in London; his example was subsequently followed by William the Conqueror.

In 1143, the city of Lubeck was founded by the Count of Schaumburg. Subsequently, the Count of Schaumburg ceded the city to Heinrich the Lion, and when the latter was declared disgraced, Lubeck became an imperial city. The power of Lübeck was recognized by all cities in Northern Germany, and a century before the official registration of the Hansa, the merchants of this city had already received trade privileges in many countries.

In 1158 the city of Lübeck, which quickly flourished as a result of the intensified development of trade in the Baltic Sea, founded a German trading company at Visby, on the island of Gotland; This city was located approximately halfway between Trava and Neva, the Sound and the Gulf of Riga, the Vistula and Lake Melar, and due to this position, and also the fact that at that time, due to imperfect navigation, ships avoided long transitions, they began to enter it all ships, and thus he acquired great importance.

In 1241, the merchant unions of the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg entered into an agreement to jointly protect the trade route connecting the Baltic Sea with the North. In 1256, the first union of a group of seaside cities was formed - Lubeck, Hamburg, Luneburg, Wismar, Rostock. Finally, a single union of Hanseatic cities - Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne, Gdansk (Danzig), Riga and others (at first the number of cities reached 70) - was formed in 1267. The representation was entrusted to the main city of the union, Lubeck, quite voluntarily, since its burgomasters and senators were considered the most capable of doing business, and at the same time this city took on the associated costs of maintaining warships.

The leaders of the Hansa very skillfully used favorable circumstances to take over trade in the Baltic and North Seas, to make their monopoly out of it, and thus to be able to set prices for goods at their own discretion; in addition, they tried to acquire in the states where it was of interest to them, the greatest possible privileges, such as, for example, the right to freely establish colonies and carry out trade, exemption from taxes on goods, from land taxes, the right to acquire houses and courtyards, with the presentation to them of extraterritoriality and their own jurisdiction. These efforts were mostly successful even before the founding of the union. Discreet, experienced, and politically talented, the union's commercial leaders were adept at exploiting the weaknesses or predicaments of neighboring states; they did not miss the chance to indirectly (by supporting the enemies of this state) or even directly (by privateering or open war) to put these states in a difficult situation, in order to force certain concessions from them. Thus, Liege and Amsterdam, Hanover and Cologne, Göttingen and Kiel, Bremen and Hamburg, Wismar and Berlin, Frankfurt and Stettin (now Szczecin), Danzig (Gdansk) and Konigsberg (Kaliningrad), Memel (Klaipeda) ) and Riga, Pernov (Pärnu) and Yuryev (Dorpat, or Tartu), Stockholm and Narva. In the Slavic cities of Wolin, which is at the mouth of the Oder (Odra) and in the present Polish Pomerania, in Kolberg (Kolobrzeg), in the Latvian Vengspils (Vindava), there were large Hanseatic trading posts that briskly bought up local goods and, to the general benefit, sold imported ones. Hanseatic offices appeared in Bruges, London, Novgorod and Revel (Tallinn).

All Hanseatic cities of the union were divided into three districts:

1) Eastern, Vendian region, to which Lubeck, Hamburg, Rostock, Wismar and the Pomeranian cities belonged - Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklyam, Stetin, Kohlberg, etc.

2) West Frisian-Dutch region, which included Cologne and the Westphalian cities - Zest, Dortmund, Groningen, etc.

3) And finally, the third region, consisted of Visby and cities located in the Baltic provinces, such as Riga and others.

The offices that the Hansa held in different countries were fortified points, and their safety was guaranteed by the supreme power: veche, princes, kings. Nevertheless, the cities that were part of the union were removed from each other and often separated by non-union, and often even hostile possessions. True, these cities were for the most part free imperial cities, but, nevertheless, in their decisions they often depended on the rulers of the surrounding country, and these rulers were far from always in favor of the Hansa, and, on the contrary, often belonged to it is unfriendly and even hostile, of course, except for those cases when they needed her help. The independence, wealth and power of the cities, which were the focus of the country's religious, scientific and artistic life, and to which its population gravitated, were a thorn in the eye of these princes.

It was very difficult to keep within the union of the cities, coastal and inland, scattered across the space from the Gulf of Finland to the Scheldt, and from the sea coast to central Germany, since the interests of these cities were very different, and yet the only connection between them could be precisely only common interests; at the disposal of the union there was only one compulsory means - exclusion from it (Verhasung), which entailed the prohibition of all members of the union to have any business with the excluded city and should have led to the termination of all relations with it; however, there was no police authority overseeing this. Complaints and grievances could only be brought to the congresses of the union cities, which were collected from time to time, to which representatives from all the cities, whose interests demanded this, were present. In any case, exclusion from the union was a very effective means against port cities; this was the case, for example, in 1355 with Bremen, which from the very beginning showed a desire for isolation, and which was forced, due to enormous losses, three years later to ask again for admission to the union.

Hansa set out to organize intermediary trade between east, west and north of Europe along the Baltic and North Seas. Trading conditions there were unusually difficult. The prices of goods in general remained rather low, and therefore the incomes of merchants at the beginning of the union's existence were modest. To keep costs to a minimum, the merchants themselves performed the functions of sailors. The merchants themselves and their servants made up the crew of the ship, the captain of which was chosen from among the more experienced travelers. If the ship did not suffer a wreck and arrived safely at its destination, it was possible to start bargaining.

The first general congress of the cities of the Hanseatic League took place in Lubeck in 1367. The elected ganzetag (a kind of parliament of the union) distributed laws in the form of letters that absorb the spirit of the times, reflecting customs and precedents. The highest authority in the Hansa was the General Hanseatic Congress, which considered issues of trade and relations with foreign states. In the intervals between congresses, current affairs were managed by the rat (city council) of Lübeck.

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Hanseatic League of Cities

The Hanseatic League (or Hansa) is a unique union (one might say, the herald of the TNC;))), which united the North German trading cities in the 14-16th centuries. He controlled all trade in the Baltic and North Seas and had monopoly privileges elsewhere. Hansa, (the name comes from German. Hanse - "partnership"), arose as a result of the agreement of Lübeck with Hamburg in 1241.

At this time, under the influence of the ever-growing strength of the knights-robbers and due to the complete lack of public security, a union of burghers was created, which directed all its forces against the reigning lawlessness in order to preserve its capital.

A peculiar feature of this community was that it had no permanent organization - no central authority, no general armed force, no navy, no army, not even general finances; individual members of the union all enjoyed the same rights, and the representation was entrusted to the main city of the union - Lubeck, quite voluntarily, since its burgomasters and senators were considered the most capable of doing business, and at the same time this city took on the associated costs of maintaining warships. The cities that were part of the union were removed from each other and separated by not belonging to the union, but often even by hostile possessions. True, these cities were for the most part free imperial cities, but nevertheless in their decisions they often depended on the rulers of the surrounding country, and these rulers, although they were German princes, were far from always in favor of the Hansa, and on the contrary, they often treated her unkindly and even hostilely, of course, except when they needed her help. The independence, wealth and power of the cities, which were the focus of the country's religious, scientific and artistic life, and to which its population gravitated, were a thorn in the eye of these princes. Therefore, they tried to harm cities as much as possible and often did it for the slightest reason and even without it.

Thus, the Hanseatic cities had to defend themselves not only from external enemies, since all the sea powers were their competitors and would willingly destroy them, but also against their own princes. Therefore, the situation of the union was extremely difficult and he had to conduct a smart and careful policy in relation to all interested rulers and skillfully use all circumstances so as not to perish and not allow the union to disintegrate.

It was very difficult to keep within the union of the cities, coastal and inland, scattered across the space from the Gulf of Finland to the Scheldt, and from the sea coast to central Germany, since the interests of these cities were very different, and yet the only connection between them could be precisely only common interests; at the disposal of the union there was only one compulsory means - exclusion from it (Verhasung), which entailed the prohibition of all members of the union to have any business with the excluded city and should have led to the termination of all relations with it; however, there was no police authority overseeing this. Complaints and grievances could only be brought to the congresses of the union cities, which were collected from time to time, to which representatives from all the cities, whose interests demanded this, were present. In any case, exclusion from the union was a very effective means against port cities; this was the case, for example, in 1355 with Bremen, which from the very beginning showed a desire for isolation, and which was forced, due to enormous losses, three years later to ask again for admission to the union.

Union cities were divided into three districts:
1) Eastern, Vendian region, to which Lubeck, Hamburg, Rostock, Wismar and the Pomeranian cities belonged - Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklyam, Stetin, Kohlberg, etc.
2) West Frisian-Dutch region, which included Cologne and the Westphalian cities - Zest, Dortmund, Groningen, etc.
3) And finally, the third region, consisted of Visby and cities located in the Baltic provinces, such as Riga and others.

In 1260, the first general congress of representatives of the Hansa was held in Lubeck.
The union finally took shape in 1367-1370. during the wars of German cities against Denmark, which dominated the trade routes between the North and Baltic seas. The nucleus of the union was made by the years. Lubeck, Hamburg and Bremen. Later, it also included coastal cities and towns that were associated with trade along the Oder and Rhine rivers - Cologne, Frankfurt, as well as the former Slavic cities, but captured by the Germans - Rostock, Danzig, Stargrad. The number of Hanseatic cities at different times reached 100-160, the framework of the union was never strictly delineated. At this time, the Hansa controlled practically all trade in the Baltic and North Seas, Central and Northern Europe, and was a powerful military and political force that many European states reckoned with.

From the very beginning to the end of the existence of the Hansa, Lubeck was its main city; this is proved by the fact that the local court in 1349 was declared an appellate instance for all cities, including Novgorod. In Lubeck, the Tagi (German Tag, congress) were convened - meetings of representatives of Hanseatic cities. "Tags" worked out generally binding statutes. A common flag was adopted, a code of laws (Hanseatic Scra).
In 1392 the Hanseatic cities entered into a monetary union and began to mint a common coin.

Hansa was a product of her time, and the circumstances were especially favorable for her. We have already mentioned the skill and reliability of the German merchants, and their ability to apply to circumstances - qualities that can still be observed in all countries today. In those days, these qualities were all the more valuable because the Normans who inhabited England and France, treated trade with contempt and did not have any abilities for it; The inhabitants of the present Russian Baltic region - Poles, Livonian and others - did not have these abilities either. Trade in the Baltic Sea, as at present, was very developed and was even more extensive than at the present time; all along the coast of this sea there were Hanseatic offices everywhere. To this it must be added that the German coastal cities, and at their head Lubeck, perfectly understood the importance of sea power and were not afraid to spend funds on the maintenance of warships.

In the 14-15 centuries. through the mediation of the Hanseatic League, the main trade between Russia and the West was carried out. Wax and furs were exported from Russia - mainly squirrel, less often - leather, flax, hemp, silk. The Hanseatic League supplied to Russia salt and fabrics - broadcloth, linen, velvet, satin. Silver, gold, non-ferrous metals, amber, glass, wheat, beer, herring, and weapons were imported in smaller volumes. In the XV century. Novgorodians and Pskovians tried to actively oppose the predominance of the Hanseatic people in the field of foreign trade, and by the end of the 15th century. the order of trade was changed in favor of the Novgorodians. During this period, the center of the Russian-Hanseatic trade gradually moved to Livonia. In 1494, in response to the execution of Russian subjects in Reval (Tallinn), the Hanseatic trading office in Novgorod was closed. Under the Novgorod-Hanseatic treaty of 1514, representatives of the Livonian cities on behalf of the Hansa accepted all the demands of the Novgorodians and the German court in Novgorod was reopened. Formally, the Hanseatic League existed until 1669, although in fact already from the 16th century. he ceded the leading role in European trade to Dutch, English and French merchants.

And, as usual, a selection of links:

http://www.librarium.ru/article_69824.htm and http://www.germanyclub.ru/index.php?pageNum=2434 - Brief information

History of the Hanseatic League.

In modern Germany, there is a special sign of historical distinction, evidence that seven cities of this state are the keepers of the traditions of a long-term, voluntary and mutually beneficial coalition, rare in history. This sign is H. It means that the cities in which the license plates begin with this letter were part of the Hanseatic League. The letters HB on the license plates should be read as Hansestadt Bremen - "Hanseatic city of Bremen", HL - "Hanseatic city of Lubeck". The letter H is also present on the license plates of Hamburg, Greifswald, Stralsund, Rostock and Wismar, which played a key role in the medieval Hansa.

The Hansa is a community in which free German cities united in the XIII-XVII centuries to protect merchants and trade from the rule of feudal lords, as well as to jointly confront pirates. The union included the cities in which the burghers lived - free citizens, they, unlike the subjects of kings and feudal lords, obeyed the norms of "city law" (Lubeck, Magdeburg). The Hanseatic League in different periods of its existence included about 200 cities, including Berlin and Dorpat (Tartu), Danzig (Gdansk) and Cologne, Koenigsberg (Kaliningrad) and Riga. To develop binding rules and laws for all merchants in Lubeck, which became the main center of maritime trade in the Northern basin, a congress of the union members met regularly.

In a number of non-members of the Hansa, there were "offices" - branches and representative offices of the Hansa, protected by privileges from the encroachments of local princes and municipalities. The largest "offices" were located in London, Bruges, Bergen and Novgorod. As a rule, "German Courtyards" had their own berths and warehouses, and were also exempted from most of the fees and taxes.

According to some modern historians, the founding of Lübeck in 1159 should be considered the event that marked the beginning of the creation of the trade union. The Hanseatic League was a rare example of a union in which all parties sought a common goal - the development of trade relations. Thanks to German merchants, goods from Eastern and Northern Europe came to the south and west of the continent: timber, furs, honey, wax, rye. Koggi (sailboats), loaded with salt, cloth and wine, went in the opposite direction.

In the 15th century, the Hanseatic League began to experience defeat after defeat at the hands of nation states that were re-emerging in its zone of England, the Netherlands, Denmark and Poland. The rulers of the countries gaining strength did not want to lose export earnings, so they liquidated the Hanseatic trading yards. However, the Hansa survived until the 17th century. The most persistent participants in the virtually disintegrated coalition were Lubeck - a symbol of the power of German merchants, Bremen and Hamburg. These cities entered into a tripartite alliance in 1630. The Hanseatic Trade Union collapsed after 1669. It was then that the last congress took place in Lubeck, which became the final event in the history of the Hansa.

An analysis of the experience of the first in a trade and economic association, its achievements and miscalculations is interesting both for historians and for modern entrepreneurs and politicians, whose minds are busy solving the problems of European integration.