Group 3 Bergen Presentation

Group 3 Bergen, Presentation on Hanse cities(Thomas, Tabitha, Ryan, Nate, Jaffar)

Founding

Founded in 12th Century AD
Trade was the backbone of Hanseatic League
most common item of trade was Salt, crucial for many cities who had huge fish industries


Trust and Truth

Contracts were done by handshake and word of mouth.
Written contracts were not as necessary because there was general trust shared by league members
If problems arose the league would meet with city representatives to resolve the issues at hand.

Historical Markers

The start of the Hansa was traced back to the rebuilding of northern German town, Lubeck in 1159 by Henry Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria.
1265- All German towns, with the Law of Lubeck, had agreed on common legislation for the defense of merchants and their goods.
1270- Lubeck-Hamburg association aquired trading privileges in Flanders and England United.
1280- The confederation of German Merchants trading in the west, was closely closely joined to the association trading in the Baltic. 
By the early 13th century Germans had a strong build on long distant trade in the Baltic.

Cities


Each city governed itself like a independent city, each had its own legal system, standing army, treasury, court and seal
However it was not a city-state nor a group of city-states. Only very few cities in the Hanseatic League enjoyed independence that could compare to an imperial city
Socially every city has many similarities; what they traded, who they traded with, their cities, and their social standings. The few differences are mainly to do with cultural influences. Mainly language. 
The main language spoken throughout the Hanseatic cities was German, however languages such as estonian and Latvian were popular as well.    
Trade Routes

Bergen was not only the capital of Norway, but also the center of trade for Western Norway.
Bryggens was the harbor in Bergen used for trade.  
The ships they used for transport, carried cod from Norway to the European countries.
Catholics used the fish for when they fasted.

Describe the ships, cities and social make up of Hanse Cities.

Ships

Usually 20-30m long by 5-8 m wide with a crew of only 5-10 men
built similar to Viking ships, however were only merchant ships
Flat bottoms which were fitted for sailing in the shallow seas, mainly sailed along the coast and unable to sail against the wind
Ships shipped every sort of good, but main exports and imports were salt, herring, grains, timber, and amber