Forces of the Hanseatic League: 13th-15th Centuries

by David Nicolle, Gerry Embleton (Illustrator)

Overview

The Hanseatic League was a commercial and defensive federation of merchant guilds based in harbour towns along the North Sea and Baltic coasts of what are now Germany and her neighbours, which eventually dominated maritime trade in Northern Europe and spread its influence much further afield. The League was formed to protect the economic and political interests of member cities throughout a vast and complex trading network. The League continued to operate well into the 17th century, but its golden age was between c.1200 and c.1500; thereafter it failed to take full advantage of the wave of maritime exploration to the west, south and east of Europe. During its 300 years of dominance the League's large ships – called 'cogs' – were at the forefront of maritime technology, were early users of cannon, and were manned by strong fighting crews to defend them from pirates in both open-sea and river warfare. The home cities raised their own armies for mutual defence, and their riches both allowed them, and required them, to invest in fortifications and gunpowder weapons, since as very attractive targets they were subjected to sieges at various times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782007814
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/20/2014
Series:	Men-at-Arms , #494
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

David Nicolle, born in 1944, worked in the BBC's Arabic service for a number of years before gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He has written numerous books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years.
David Nicolle is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Medieval Studies, Nottingham University. He is the author of numerous books on aspects of medieval military history, including many for Osprey.
Gerry Embleton has been a leading illustrator and researcher of historical costume since the 1970s, and has illustrated and written Osprey titles on a wide range of subjects for more than 20 years. He is an internationally respected authority on 15th and 18th century costumes in particular. He lives in Switzerland, where since 1988 he has also become well known for designing and creating life-size historical figures for museums.

Table of Contents

Introduction: origins and nature of the League/ Knights and militias, 13th–14th centuries/ Hanseatic shipping: the 'cog', its capabilities and influence; armed ships and piracy; river trade and river wars/ Fortified ports and siege warfare/ Introduction of cannon by land and sea/ The League in the late 15th century: the 'age of discoveries', from peak of prosperity to decline/ Select bibliography/ Plate commentaries/ Index