Comments on: Old Hansa

Old Hansa

infini — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:15:06 -0800

Networks of the Hanseatic League - The Hanseatic League was a late-medieval network of economically largely independent long-distance trade merchants which was based on trust, reputation and reciprocal relations. The informal cooperation among its members kept transactional, informational and organizational costs low, allowing the Hanse merchants to make good profits from the long-distance trade between the Baltic and the North Seas. Thanks to personal and institutional links with confederations of towns, the Hanse merchants were initially able to strengthen their international position of power. Since the late 15th century, however, the transaction costs of long-distance trade increased as a result of growing exclusivity and formalization efforts in the Hanseatic league. Moreover, changes in the European economic structure, triggered by the discovery of America, and internal conflicts ultimately led to the disintegration of the Hanseatic networks.

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:34:41 -0800

There seems to be a Hansa renaissance in the Shipping world.

By: selfnoise

selfnoise — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:42:25 -0800

I don't know what the state of the series is, but the Patrician computer games used to be a good and very detailed simulation of being a trader in this world.

By: selfnoise

selfnoise — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:46:00 -0800

Oh yeah, here's the one I had. Yours for three bucks!

By: ariel_caliban

ariel_caliban — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:15:44 -0800

Trivia: The Hanseatic League lives on in German license plates. The initial letters on the plate give the city or region in which the car is registered, and cities that were members of the league get an extra much-coveted "H" (for "Hansestadt") in front of their initials -- hence "HH" for Hamburg, or "HL" for Lübeck. See http://userpage.chemie.fu-berlin.de/diverse/doc/kfz.html for a comprehensive list of all German license plate city abbreviations, if that's the sort of thing that floats your boat.

By: neroli

neroli — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:45:54 -0800

The Hanseatic League also lives on in the air.

By: jannw

jannw — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:55:00 -0800

still making pretty yachts

By: IndigoJones

IndigoJones — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:07:02 -0800

The Hanseatic League lives on in German license plates. Lufthansa - Hanseatic Air

By: infini

infini — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:37:08 -0800

Ye Olde Hansa is what got me intrigued. This could have been a mega post but the author of the linked history has done a far better, more articulate and concise job than I ever could have done.

By: georg_cantor

georg_cantor — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:44:22 -0800

This game totally owns. Got it for Christmas.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:18:01 -0800

Let us not forget Hansa Yellow, first developed in Germany before WWI.

By: Halloween Jack

Halloween Jack — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 12:28:18 -0800

What If... Glenn Danzig were a member of the Hanseatic League?

By: orrnyereg

orrnyereg — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 13:02:25 -0800

If you're interested in learning more, Philippe Dollinger's The German Hansa is considered the standard work.

By: infini

infini — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 14:01:28 -0800

It is currently retailing on Amazon at @ £149.00! !! thank god for EGO then

By: immlass

immlass — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:08:26 -0800

Lufthansa - Hanseatic Air I had never made that connection! Now to put the link into Instapaper.