
This was very useful in Baltic trade, as there was less individual risk for merchants.Īnother power in the north was also rising at this time. For larger trades, merchants would sign short-term contracts. Dutch traders also developed a new business model in the fifteenth century. These new ships were faster, smaller, and were equipped for bulk-carrying trade. Without the middlemen that existed during the Hanseatic era, transaction costs were at an all-time low, allowing for cuts in Dutch shipbuilding costs and innovations in design. At the same time, Baltic grain imports increased by 50,000 lasts. From the early to the late sixteenth century, it is estimated that the loading capacity of the merchant fleet increased by about 60,000 lasts. Instead of relying on the Hanseatic staple markets, the Dutch began to buy wheat and rye locally in order to drastically reduce prices. New powers in the Baltic Netherlands Īt the beginning of the fifteenth century, large numbers of ships from Holland were sailing to the Baltic for grain and western France for salt. In 1648, Sweden occupied the Pomeranian and northern German shores, which resulted in the last Hanseatic meeting in Lübeck in 1669 to confirm the League’s demise. This transfer of power would begin the fall of the Hanseatic League. In the second half of the seventeenth century, Lübeck was replaced by Elbe harbor as the main maritime center of the League in the Baltic. Hanseatic towns, however, began to find themselves more and more restricted to the Baltic Sea, as trade routes opened up to the western Atlantic system. The success of Lübeck continued into the early 1600s, largely due to shipbuilding. As the League began to fragment, Lübeck and the Wendish coastal towns became isolated, and trade routes between the Baltic shores, North Sea, and the western Atlantic were established. Gradually, eastern Baltic merchants wore away the Hanseatic trading system and began to directly supply ports in London, Amsterdam, and Antwerp. The Lüneburg salt exports were replaced by cheaper salt from France. Fall of the Hanseatic League īy the beginning of the fifteenth century, western demand for Prussian and Livonian goods was growing. These included wax and furs from Novgorod, cod from Bergen, and high-quality wool and cloth from London and Bruges. The relationship between the Kontors and main Hanse merchant settlements allowed for the establishment of a monopoly of goods. Between these ports, rich merchant families kept in close contact with foreign powers and promoted the interests of the League. The four main Kontors were Novgorod, London, Bergen, and Bruges. Lübeck maintained its position as the central trading port in the Hanseatic League through its location in the Kontors. Finnish and Russian wax, furs, leather, skins.Unprocessed timber, deal boards, masts, and klapholz.Merchants from Lübeck and the Wendish coastal towns specialized in the trading of high-quality western goods, like cloth, spices, and alcohol, for minerals and products from the north and east. Merchant families from this area began to settle along the Wendish and Pomeranian coast. The city of Lübeck served as the starting point of the Hanseatic trading system. The long-lasting success of the Hanseatic trading system can be attributed to Northern Europe’s many rivers and roads that connected German markets and cities to the ports in the Baltic Sea. In its prime, the Hanseatic League consisted of around 200 cities and towns and stretched from Reval in the east to Kampen in the west. The Hanse originated in what is currently northern Germany and Westphalia and held many associations with merchants from these areas. In the second half of the 14th century, the Hanseatic League dominated the trading organization in the Baltic.

The Baltic trading system of this era can be explained as beginning with the Hanseatic League and ending with the Great Nordic War. Over a period of 400 years, maritime powers in the east and west struggled to control these markets and the trade routes between them. During this time, ships carrying goods from the Baltic and North Sea passed along the Øresund, or the Sound, connecting areas like the Gulf of Finland to the Skagerrak. With other time telling tools like displays on digital watches, digital clocks and computers, you will see the 24-hour time format.History of maritime trade in the Baltic Seaīaltic maritime trade began in the Late Middle Ages and continued to develop into the early modern period. For almost all military and emergency services you will see midnight referred to in both 2400 and/or 0000. Sometimes you may ask the question is military time written as 2400 or 0000? The answer is both. Military Time / 24 Hour Time Conversion Chart
