Teutonic Order and the Hanseatic League
The Teutonic Order and the Hanseatic League were the two most important political and commercial institutions of the Baltic region in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Order was the sovereign of several of the principal members of the league, and the Order’s commercial interests were, in most cases, aligned with those of the league. The relations between the two were, however, not always easy, and the two institutions had, on a number of occasions, serious disagreements.
The Origins of the Relationship
The Hanseatic League — a confederation of north German and Baltic towns that dominated the trade of northern Europe — was, in its origins, a private association of merchants. The league’s structure became more formal in the fourteenth century, as the league’s commercial interests expanded. The principal institutions — the Hansetage (Hanseatic Diets), the Kontore (foreign trading posts), and the Quartier (regional divisions) — were established during the fourteenth century.
The Teutonic Order was, a natural ally of the league. The Order was the sovereign of several of the principal members of the league — Danzig, Thorn, Elbing, Königsberg, and other Prussian towns — and the Order was interested in the security of the Baltic trade routes, the protection of the league’s members from piracy, and the maintenance of the commercial privileges that the league had obtained from the rulers of England, Flanders and the Scandinavian kingdoms.
The Privileges of the League
The league obtained, from the rulers of England, Flanders and the Scandinavian kingdoms, a series of substantial commercial privileges. The most important were the charters of 1303, 1320, 1377 and 1408, by which the English kings granted the league’s members the right to trade in England on favourable terms, to be subject to the jurisdiction of their own magistrates, and to be exempt from many of the customs duties that applied to other foreign merchants.
The Order supported the league’s commercial position by providing naval support for the league’s commercial operations, by providing diplomatic support for the league’s commercial negotiations, and by providing financial support for the league’s commercial operations.
The Towns and the League
The principal Prussian towns — Danzig, Thorn, Elbing, Königsberg, Kulm and other centres — were active members of the Hanseatic League. Danzig was one of the principal members of the league, and the city was a major node in the league’s network of contacts with the English wool trade, the Flemish cloth trade, and the Scandinavian timber and fish trades.
Thorn was a major centre of the Polish trade. Elbing was a major centre of the grain trade. Königsberg was a major centre of the eastern Baltic trade, a major node in the league’s network of contacts with Lithuania, Livonia, and the Russian principalities.
The Points of Friction
The relations between the Order and the league were not always easy. The principal points of friction were the Pfundzoll, the Kornkäppel, and the privileges of the Prussian towns in the league’s foreign trading posts.
The Pfundzoll — a transit duty on the Vistula trade — was a substantial source of revenue for the Order, and the Order’s attempts to increase the rate were a particular source of tension. The league’s members objected to the Order’s attempts to extend the Pfundzoll to goods that had not previously been subject to it.
The Kornkäppel — a prohibition on the export of grain through ports other than Danzig — was a measure to protect the commercial position of Danzig, and it was, in most cases, effective. The Kornkäppel was, however, a source of friction between the Order and the smaller ports, and it was one of the principal grievances that the smaller ports brought against the Order in the fifteenth century.
The Late Medieval Crisis
The relations between the Order and the league were, in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, increasingly strained. The Order’s attempts to increase its revenue, the league’s increasing assertiveness, and the growing power of the Polish-Lithuanian union all contributed to a deterioration of the relationship. The crisis came to a head in 1454, with the formation of the Prussian Confederation and the beginning of the Thirteen Years’ War. The principal Prussian towns joined the Confederation, and the league was sympathetic to the Confederation’s cause.
The Order, in response, attempted to put pressure on the league by suspending the privileges of the Prussian towns in the league’s foreign trading posts, but the league continued to trade with the Prussian towns throughout the war. The war ended with the Second Peace of Thorn of 1466, by which the Order ceded the western portions of the state to the Polish crown.
Sources
- Biskup, Marian, and Gerard Labuda. Dzieje zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie, 1986.
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Dollinger, Philippe. The German Hansa. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1970.
Related Reading
The economy of the state is examined in the main article on the economy and trade, and the distinctive amber trade is examined in the article on the amber trade. For the political consequences of the relationship, see the article on the Thirteen Years’ War and the article on the Second Peace of Thorn. For the context of the relationship, see the main article on the Teutonic state and the article on the establishment of the state.