At this time, Russia and Sweden were competing for control of the routes that connected the Baltic coast and Russian lands. By 1558, Russian merchants had reached the Baltic coasts and occupied Livonia, Dorpat, and Narva. The Russian prince, Grand Duke Ivan III, closed the Kontor in Novgorod in 1494. 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.
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