Hanseatic League - Lists of Former Hansa Cities

Lists of Former Hansa Cities

The names of the Quarters have been abbreviated in the following table:

  • Wendish: Wendish and Pomeranian (or just Wendish) Quarter
  • Saxon: Saxon, Thuringian and Brandenburg (or just Saxon) Quarter
  • Baltic: Prussian, Livonian and Swedish (or East Baltic) Quarter
  • Westphalian: Rhine-Westphalian and Netherlands (or Rhineland) Quarter
  • Kontor: The Kontore were foreign trading posts of the League, not cities that were Hanseatic members.

The column "Territory" indicates the jurisdiction to which the city was, at the time, subject; the column "Now" indicates the modern nation-state in which the city may be found.

Quarter City Territory Now Joined Left Notes Refs
Wendish Lubeck ! Lübeck Free imperial city ! Free City of Lübeck Germany Capital of the Hanseatic League, capital of the Wendish and Pomeranian Circle
Wendish Hamburg ! Hamburg Free imperial city ! Free City of Hamburg Germany
Wendish Luneburg ! Lüneburg Brunswick-Luneburg ! Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg Germany
Wendish Wismar ! Wismar Mecklenburg ! Duchy of Mecklenburg Germany Joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty (Rostocker Landfrieden) in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards).
Wendish Rostock ! Rostock Mecklenburg ! Duchy of Mecklenburg Germany Joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards).
Wendish Stralsund ! Stralsund Rugen ! Principality of Rügen Germany 70031293000000000001293 Rügen was a fief of the Danish crown to 1325. Stralsund joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards). From 1339 to the 17th century, Stralsund was a member of the Vierstädtebund with Greifswald, Demmin and Anklam.
Wendish Demmin ! Demmin Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Germany Joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards). From 1339 to the 17th century, Demmin was a member of the Vierstädtebund with Stralsund, Greifswald and Anklam.
Wendish Greifswald ! Greifswald Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Germany Joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards). From 1339 to the 17th century, Griefswald was a member of the Vierstädtebund with Stralsund, Demmin and Anklam.
Wendish Anklam ! Anklam Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Germany Joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards). From 1339 to the 17th century, Anklam was a member of the Vierstädtebund with Stralsund, Greifswald and Demmin.
Wendish Stettin ! Stettin (Szczecin) Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Poland 70031278000000000001278 Joined the 10-year Rostock Peace Treaty in 1283, which was the predecessor of the federation of Wendish towns (1293 onwards); since the 14th century gradually adopted the role of a chief city for the Pomeranian Hanseatic towns to its east
Wendish Pasewalk ! Pasewalk Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Germany
Wendish Kolberg ! Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Poland
Wendish Rugenwalde ! Rügenwalde (Darłowo) Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Poland
Wendish Stolp ! Stolp (Słupsk) Pomerania ! Duchy of Pomerania Poland
Wendish Visby ! Visby Sweden ! Kingdom of Sweden Sweden 70031470000000000001470 In 1285 at Kalmar, the League agreed with Magnus III, King of Sweden, that Gotland be joined with Sweden. In 1470, Visby's status was rescinded by the League, with Lübeck razing the city's churches in May 1525.
Wendish Stockholm ! Stockholm Sweden ! Kingdom of Sweden Sweden
Saxon Brunswick ! Brunswick Saxony ! Duchy of Saxony Germany 7003120000000000000 13th c. 7003160000000000000 17th c. Capital of the Saxon, Thuringian and Brandenburg Circle
Saxon Bremen ! Bremen Free imperial city ! Free City of Bremen Germany 70031260000000000001260
Saxon Magdeburg ! Magdeburg Magdeburg ! Archbishopric of Magdeburg Germany 7003120000000000000 13th c. Capital of the Saxon, Thuringian and Brandenburg Circle
Saxon Goslar ! Goslar Goslar ! Imperial City of Goslar Germany 70031267000000000001267 70031566000000000001566 Goslar was a fief of Saxony until 1280.
Saxon Erfurt ! Erfurt Mainz ! Archbishopric of Mainz Germany
Saxon Stade ! Stade Bremen ! Archbishopric of Bremen Germany
Saxon Berlin ! Berlin Brandenburg ! Margraviate of Brandenburg Germany 70031442000000000001442 Brandenburg was raised to an Electorate in 1356. Elector Frederick II caused all the Brandenburg cities to leave the League in 1442.
Saxon Frankfurt Oder ! Frankfurt an der Oder Brandenburg ! Margraviate of Brandenburg Germany 70031430000000000001430 70031442000000000001442 Elector Frederick II caused all the Brandenburg cities to leave the League in 1442.
Baltic Danzig ! Danzig (Gdańsk) Teutonic Order ! Teutonic Order Poland 70031358000000000001358 Capital of the Prussian, Livonian and Swedish (or East Baltic) Circle. Danzig had been first a part of the Duchy of Pomerelia, then part of the State of the Teutonic Order from 1308 until 1457. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), Royal Prussia including Gdańsk was part of the Kingdom of Poland.
Baltic Elbing ! Elbing (Elbląg) Teutonic Order ! Teutonic Order Poland 70031358000000000001358 Elbing had originally been part of the territory of the Old Prussians, until 1230s when it became part of the State of the Teutonic Order. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), Royal Prussia, including Elbląg was part of the Kingdom of Poland.
Baltic Thorn ! Thorn (Toruń) Teutonic Order ! Teutonic Order Poland 70031280000000000001280 Toruń had been first a part of the Kingdom of Poland, then part of the State of the Teutonic Order from 1230 until 1466. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), Royal Prussia, including Toruń was part of the Kingdom of Poland
Baltic Krakow ! Kraków Poland ! Kingdom of Poland Poland 7003137000000000000ca 1370 7003150000000000000ca 1500 Kraków was the capital of the Kingdom of Poland, 1038–1596/1611. It adopted Magdeburg town law and 5000 Poles and 3500 Germans lived within the city proper in the 15th century; Poles steadily rose in the ranks of guild memberships reaching 41% of guild members in 1500. It was very loosely associated with Hansa, and paid no membership fees, nor sent representatives to League meetings.
Baltic Breslau ! Breslau, (Wrocław) Silesia ! Kingdom of Bohemia Poland 70031387000000000001387 70031474000000000001474 Breslau, a part of the Duchy of Breslau and the Kingdom of Bohemia, was only loosely connected to the League and paid no membership fees nor did its representatives take part in Hansa meetings
Baltic Konigsberg ! Königsberg (Kaliningrad) Teutonic Order ! Teutonic Order Russia 70031340000000000001340 Königsberg was the capital of the Teutonic Order, becoming the capital of Ducal Prussia on the Order's secularisation in 1466. Ducal Prussia was a German principality that was a fief of the Polish crown until gaining its independence in the 1660 Treaty of Oliva. The city was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946 after East Prussia was divided between the People's Republic of Poland and the Soviet Union at the Potsdam Conference.
Baltic Riga ! Rīga Livonia ! Terra Mariana (Livonia) Latvia 70031282000000000001282 During the Livonian War (1558–83), Riga became a Free imperial city until the 1581 Treaty of Drohiczyn ceded Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until the city was captured by Sweden in the Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625).
Baltic Reval ! Reval (Tallinn) Livonia ! Terra Mariana (Livonia) Estonia 70031285000000000001285 On joining the Hanseatic League, Reval was a Danish fief, but was sold, with the rest of northern Estonia, to the Teutonic Order in 1346. After the Livonian War (1558–83), northern Estonia became a part of the Swedish Empire.
Baltic Dorpat ! Dorpat (Tartu) Livonia ! Terra Mariana (Livonia) Estonia 7003128000000000000 1280s The Bishopric of Dorpat gained increasing autonomy within the Terra Mariana. During the Livonian War (1558–83), Dorpat fell under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with the 1581 Treaty of Drohiczyn definitively ceding Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until the city was captured by Sweden in the Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625).
Westphalian Cologne ! Cologne Cologne ! Imperial City of Cologne Germany 70031475000000000001475 Capital of the Rhine-Westphalian and Netherlands Circle until after the Anglo-Hanseatic War (1470–74), when the city was excluded (German: Verhanst) for having supported England, and Dortmund was made capital of the Circle.
Westphalian Dortmund ! Dortmund Dortmund ! Imperial City of Dortmund Germany After Cologne was excluded after the Anglo-Hanseatic War (1470–74), Dortmund was made capital of the Rhine-Westphalian and Netherlands Circle.
Westphalian Deventer ! Deventer Utrecht ! Bishopric of Utrecht Netherlands 70031000000000000001000 70031500000000000001500
Westphalian Kampen ! Kampen Utrecht ! Bishopric of Utrecht Netherlands 70031441000000000001441
Westphalian Groningen ! Groningen Friesland ! Friesland Netherlands Friesland was de facto independent through much of the Middle Ages.
Westphalian Munster ! Münster Munster ! Prince-Bishopric of Münster Germany
Westphalian Osnabruck ! Osnabrück Osnabruck ! Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück Germany 7003110000000000000 12th c.
Westphalian Soest ! Soest Soest ! Imperial City of Soest Germany 70031609000000000001609 The city was a part of the Electorate of Cologne until acquiring its freedom in 1444–49, after which it aligned with the Duchy of Cleves.
Kontor Novgorod ! Novgorod: Peterhof Novgorod ! Novgorod Republic Russia 7003150000000000000 1500s Novgorod was one of the principal Kontore of the League and the easternmost. In 1499, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, closed the Peterhof; it was reopened a few years later, but the League's Russian trade never recovered.
Kontor Bergen ! Bergen: Bryggen Norway ! Kingdom of Norway Norway 70031360000000000001360 70031775000000000001775 Bryggen was one of the principal Kontore of the League. It was razed by accidental fire in 1476. In 1560, administration of Bryggen was placed under Norwegian administration.
Kontor Bruges ! Bruges: Hanzekantoor Flanders ! County of Flanders Belgium Bruges was one of the principal Kontore of the League until the 15th century, when the seaway to the city silted up; trade from Antwerp benefiting from Bruges's loss.
Kontor London ! London: Steelyard England ! Kingdom of England United Kingdom 70031303000000000001303 70031853000000000001853 The Steelyard was one of the principal Kontore of the League. King Edward I granted a Carta Mercatoria in 1303. The Steelyard was destroyed in 1469 and Edward IV exempted Cologne merchants, leading to the Anglo-Hanseatic War (1470–74). The Treaty of Utrecht, sealing the peace, led to the League purchasing the Steelyard outright in 1475, with Edward having renewed the League's privileges without insisting on reciprocal rights for English merchants in the Baltic. London merchants persuaded Elizabeth I to rescind the League's privileges on 13 January 1598; while the Steelyard was re-established by James I, the advantage never returned. Consulates continued however, providing communication during the Napoleonic Wars, and the Hanseatic interest was only sold in 1853.
Kontor Antwerp ! Antwerp Brabant ! Duchy of Brabant Belgium Antwerp became a major Kontor of the League, particularly after the seaway to Bruges silted up in the 15th century, leading to its fortunes waning in Antwerp's favour, despite Antwerp's refusal to grant special privileges to the League's merchants. Between 1312 and 1406, Antwerp was a margraviate, independent of Brabant.
Kontor Lynn ! Bishop's Lynn (King's Lynn) England ! Kingdom of England United Kingdom 70031751000000000001751 The Hanseatic Warehouse was constructed in 1475 as part of the Treaty of Utrecht, allowing the League to establish a trading depot in Lynn for the first time. It is the only surviving League building in England.
Kontor Ipswich ! Ipswich England ! Kingdom of England United Kingdom
Kontor Malmo ! Malmö Denmark ! Kingdom of Denmark Sweden 7003140000000000000 15th c. Skåne (Scania) was Danish until ceded to Sweden by the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde, during the Second Northern War.
Kontor Falsterbo ! Falsterbo Denmark ! Kingdom of Denmark Sweden 7003140000000000000 15th c. Skåne was Danish until ceded to Sweden by the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde, during the Second Northern War.
Kontor Kovno ! Kovno (Kaunas) Lithuania ! Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lithuania
Kontor Pleskau ! Pleskau (Pskov) Pskov ! Pskov Republic Russia In the 12th and 13th centuries, Pskov adhered to the Novgorod Republic. It was captured by the Teutonic Order in 1241 and liberated by a Lithuanian prince, becoming a de facto sovereign republic by the 14th century.
Kontor Polotsk ! Polotsk Polotsk ! Principality of Polotsk Belarus Polotsk was an autonomous principality of Kievan Rus' until gaining its independence in 1021. From 1240, it became a vassal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, being fully integrated into the Grand Duchy in 1307.

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