Fudge, John D.

2013-06-26T13:43:41Z

2013-06-26T13:43:41Z

1988

The German Hanse and England: Commercial and political interaction at the close of the Middle Ages

This study examines economic and political interaction between England and the German Hanse in the second half of the fifteenth century, and assesses the extent to which realignment of Anglo-Hanseatic trade within the broader European commercial network affected the institutional stability of the Hanse and the mercantile development of its principal member towns. Delineation of the commercial infra-structure also allows for an evaluation of the Hanseatic trade in individual English ports and the economic repercussions of various interruptions in this trade. The economic interests of merchant groups associated with changing commercial patterns and affected by the shifting currents of Anglo-Hanseatic diplomacy provide the basis for analysis of inter-urban political behaviour within the Hanse. A pervading element of disunity within the Hanseatic community was exposed by the diverse range of responses to the seizure of the Hanseatic salt fleet by English privateers in 1449, and especially by LGbeck's long-term alienation from the trade with England. Two decades later the spiralling cycle of maritime violence culminated with the complete breakdown in Anglo-Hanseatic diplomacy and an attempt by Cologne's merchants to dissociate themselves from the rest of the Hanseatic community in England. The resultant disruption of Anglo-Baltic trade during the next five years, coupled with Cologne's determination to preserve the cross-Channel trade with London, greatly enhanced the role of the Zealand ports for both the English and the Hanseatic seaborne trade, and helped pave the way for the ascendency of the Brabantine fair towns during the final quarter of the century. As a natural corollary, the reliance of the Cologners on trade routes to the south and east, precipitated an expansion of the overland network that in turn had far-reaching consequences for various sectors of the Hanseatic community. Moreover, the interruption of Anglo-Hanseatic commerce in the 1470s and again in the late 1480s profoundly affected the overseas trade of ports in eastern England, although this did not in itself determine the extent of English participation in the Baltic trade over the long term. Finally, with Anglo-Hanseatic political relations stable by the end of the century, the Anglo-Lowland trade wars of the 1490s prompted further, albeit less permanent adjustments in the commercial network, again highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of diverse Hanseatic interest groups and the overall vulnerability of the Hanse as a viable political entity.

234106

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/7151

eng

University of Edinburgh

Political

science

Public

administration

History

Economics

German Hanse and England: commercial and political interaction at the close of the Middle Ages

The German Hanse and England: commercial and political interaction at the close of the Middle Ages

PhD Doctor of Philosophy