While kings fired arrows and cannons in the Hundred Years’ War, a different power quietly reshaped northern Europe: the Hanseatic League. This loose alliance of merchant cities and guilds, centered on Lübeck, linked more than 70–100 towns at its height, from London and Bruges to Bergen and Novgorod. Instead of a crown or standing army, the League relied on shared rules, mutual defense, and trust. Merchant cogs loaded with grain, timber, furs, an…
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