.12 To 16th Century Hanseatic Merchants And The United Kingdom

Hanseatic League was one of the important business alliances in the economichistory of medieval Western Europe. In order to achieve the maximum economicbenefits, the merchants of the league launched extensive activities in the western andnorthern Europe. And England, as the economic lags behind in the course from theMiddle Ages to the modern times, had to struggle against or to compromise withHanseatic League when it encountered the League. Finally, Hanseatic Leaguestagnates outside the door of modern world, and Britain becomes prosperity graduallyas a nation-state. This paper mainly conducts a preliminary study from the economicpoint of view about the activities of Hanseatic merchants in England.In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the main structure of this paper isdivided into three parts.The first chapter reveals the historical background of Hanseatic merchantsentering into Britain. It describes Hanseatic League's formation and prosperity,including the definition of the League, organizational structure, etc., and presumesthat the powerful League is the resorts of its merchants entering into England andengaging in commercial activities. On the other hand, in England, during 13 to 15century, because of the burden of "the Hundred Years War", the force of state hadweakening; the level of economy seems relative low, which give Hanseatic merchantsa huge space to engaged in commercial activities in England.The second chapter explains the merchants' business activities in England duringthe prosperous period of Hanseatic League. The reasons for Hanseatic merchants toenter England were precisely that there was an economic "gap" between them, so botheconomic development and operation of political machine are need financial supportsfrom foreign businessmen such as Hanseatic merchants in England. The "Steelyard"located in London is a headquarter of Hanseatic merchants in England, and through it,they engaged mainly in the import and export trade of England. As the economicactivities and exchanges had become more frequent, numerous Hanseatic merchants and other Germans driven by them went to settle in England.The third chapter examines the vanishing of the Hanseatic merchants' impact onEngland. The rising of England as a nation-state makes the situation of the Hanseaticmerchants in England increasingly difficult, the crisis of 1468 intensified thediscontent of English businessmen toward the Hanseatic merchants, and with theestablishment of Tudor Dynasty, the economic growth of England had gained apowerful support from the government of nation, the national businessmen wereeasily accepted psychologically by English people. In the 16th century, Englishmerchants began a commercial challenge and the Hanseatic merchants forces wereincreasingly fading. In the end, the international trade patterns of the western andnorthern Europe had changed as the changes in political and economic strength.