The economic and political relations of England and the Hanse from 1400 to 1475

Behind Enemy Lines: The German Connection in the Middle English Sir Degrevant

“…The presence of German luxury trade items in the Earl's household are consistent with what we know of Scotland's relationship with the medieval confederation of German trade cities known as the Hanseatic League (Gelsinger 1989, 90-97). Four of the German references in the poem, in fact, relate to the Rhine region, part of the "western branch" of the Hanseatic trade route (including Westphalia and Zuider Zee) connected by the city of Cologne, lending further verisimilitude to the German presence in the poem (Postan 1931;1951, 93, 95, 100). Throughout this period, Scotland relied almost entirely on outside trade for nearly all its processed goods, including armaments and tools, wine, and often grain.…”

“…Following decades of Hanseatic supremacy in trade relations in Western Europe, English merchants managed to gain a significant foothold in Baltic trade traffic, sparking German response to this perceived encroachment into their territory (Postan 1931;1951, 97-98). English merchants returning from Baltic trade expeditions reported attacks and injustices upon them in Prussia, Sweden, and Norway, all areas traditionally under Hanseatic control.…”

“…English merchants returning from Baltic trade expeditions reported attacks and injustices upon them in Prussia, Sweden, and Norway, all areas traditionally under Hanseatic control. Such reports fueled both retaliatory attacks on Hanseatic ships as well as a more general "anti-Hanseatic" movement in England, stirring up latent resentment towards the Hanse merchants living and working in England who had long enjoyed special royal protections and privileges, including tax breaks, legal protections, and powerful political representation in major trade centers (Palais 1959, 855, 857;Lloyd 1991, 110-111;Postan 1931;1951, 98-100, 105-111) (For instance, through an agreement brokered in 1317 between Hanse merchants and King Edward II, shielding them from future tax hikes, German merchants "were not only the most privileged body of alien merchants in the land, but they were privileged even more above English merchants" (Carus-Wilson 1978, 18, 20)). In response, Hanse merchants in England and abroad moved to limit English access to trade centers and activities, and by 1405 tensions became such that "it looked as if the conflict might pass into a formal war" (Postan 1931;1951, 109;Lloyd 1991, 114).…”

“…Such reports fueled both retaliatory attacks on Hanseatic ships as well as a more general "anti-Hanseatic" movement in England, stirring up latent resentment towards the Hanse merchants living and working in England who had long enjoyed special royal protections and privileges, including tax breaks, legal protections, and powerful political representation in major trade centers (Palais 1959, 855, 857;Lloyd 1991, 110-111;Postan 1931;1951, 98-100, 105-111) (For instance, through an agreement brokered in 1317 between Hanse merchants and King Edward II, shielding them from future tax hikes, German merchants "were not only the most privileged body of alien merchants in the land, but they were privileged even more above English merchants" (Carus-Wilson 1978, 18, 20)). In response, Hanse merchants in England and abroad moved to limit English access to trade centers and activities, and by 1405 tensions became such that "it looked as if the conflict might pass into a formal war" (Postan 1931;1951, 109;Lloyd 1991, 114). Fueling antiHanseatic sentiment in England, even during lulls in Anglo-Hanse hostilities, was repeated evidence of Hanseatic trade activity with Scotland, prompting King Henry IV, for instance, to send a formal request to the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in 1401, demanding his subjects be banned from trading with the Scots, a request freely dismissed by the latter.…”

“…10 In a subsequent clandestine visit, she again serves Degervant "wyne of ϸe /Reyn" (l. 1720), or Rhine wine, also known as "Rhenish wine." Wine from the Rhine region constituted a staple of the Hanseatic trade in northern Europe, and was one of the oldest and, at times, most lucrative branches of German trade with the British Isles (Unwin 1991, 190;Lloyd 1991, 38;Postan 1931;1951, 93, 95 100). During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Rhine wine was the chief imported wine in England, giving way eventually to wines from Gascony, as shipped from Bordeaux and La Rochelle, regions of France under English rule.…”