Group 3 Bergen

Group 3 Bergen, Presentation on Hanse cities(Thomas, Tabitha, Ryan, Nate, Jaffar)

Founding

• Founded in 12th Century AD
• Trade was the backbone of Hanseatic League
• most common item of trade was Salt, crucial for many cities who had huge fish industries

Trust and Truth

• Contracts were done by handshake and word of mouth.
• Written contracts were not as necessary because there was general trust shared by league members
• If problems arose the league would meet with city representatives to resolve the issues at hand.

Historical Markers

• The start of the Hansa was traced back to the rebuilding of northern German town, Lubeck in 1159 by Henry Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria.
• 1265- All German towns, with the Law of Lubeck, had agreed on common legislation for the defense of merchants and their goods.
• 1270- Lubeck-Hamburg association aquired trading privileges in Flanders and England United.
• 1280- The confederation of German Merchants trading in the west, was closely closely joined to the association trading in the Baltic. 
• By the early 13th century Germans had a strong build on long distant trade in the Baltic.

Cities

• Each city governed itself like a independent city, each had its own legal system, standing army, treasury, court and seal
• However it was not a city-state nor a group of city-states. Only very few cities in the Hanseatic League enjoyed independence that could compare to an imperial city
• Socially every city has many similarities; what they traded, who they traded with, their cities, and their social standings. The few differences are mainly to do with cultural influences. Mainly language. 
• The main language spoken throughout the Hanseatic cities was German, however languages such as estonian and Latvian were popular as well.    

Trade Routes

• Bergen was not only the capital of Norway, but also the center of trade for Western Norway.
• Bryggens was the harbor in Bergen used for trade.  
• The ships they used for transport, carried cod from Norway to the European countries.
• Catholics used the fish for when they fasted.

Describe the ships, cities and social make up of Hanse Cities.

Ships

• Usually 20-30m long by 5-8 m wide with a crew of only 5-10 men
• built similar to Viking ships, however were only merchant ships
• Flat bottoms which were fitted for sailing in the shallow seas, mainly sailed along the coast and unable to sail against the wind
• Ships shipped every sort of good, but main exports and imports were salt, herring, grains, timber, and amber

The Hanseatic League

Protection of the Hanseatic League



The Deutsche Hansa was created by German merchants to protect themselves and their merchandise during travel (Britannica). They provided mutual protection by travelling together. This was done because the surrounding countries were far more unified and advanced at this time. The main threat to their lives and merchandise were pirates and robbers. In order to ensure the safety of the league’s ships, the league would band together to quell the pirate threats as they arose (Britannica). The league also provided lighthouses for ship safety and increased pilot training to handle any situation that might occur. In order to secure protection from foreign nations, the league would pay foreign leaders for safe passage.  When this method became inadequate, the league would threaten to withdraw all trade from that nation (Britannica). If necessary the league would threaten organized warfare. This actually occurred in the 1360’s when the Danish king Valdemar IV threatened to remove the league’s influence in the Baltic. The league quickly raised an army and decisively beat the Danes, claiming the league’s supremacy in the Baltic. The league made sure to keep the member towns in order by forbidding fighting and limiting the robberies that occurred in this time. The league lasted until the rise of the nation states surrounding Germany and the lack of common interests between the members of the league.





The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Hanseatic League (German Trading Organization)." Encylopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014

Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia

Group 5 Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia

Ryan Christopherson

Tristen Witthuhn

Felicia Dieterman

Abby Charlson

Chanae Peterson





https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3H_VZVSkHPJdGZUaFFUS0pUSzg/edit?usp=sharing

Saxony-Anhalt is located in the northeast section of Germany.  Originally named Anhalt this German state began as a principality in 1863. Anhalt became a state of Germany in 1918 until 1945 when it became a part of Saxony-Anhalt (Berentsen). The majority of state changes came around the end of the major European wars. The boundaries that exist today were formed in 1947 but did not last long (Sachsen-Anhalt). The state was broken into districts in 1952 under the control of the communist Soviet Union and remained that way until 1990 (Berentsen). In the reunification of East and West Germany, Saxony-Anhalt resumed its status of a state and has remained that way to present day.

Saxony-Anhalt has a state parliament that meets in its capital, Magdeburg (Sachsen-Anhalt). The democracy is run based on the state’s constitution and is headed by the Minister-President. The parliament is controlled by the Christian Democratic Union (Sachsen-Anhalt). This makes sense because Saxon-Anhalt was the center of the Reformation. In 1517, in the city of Wittenburg, Martin Luther made his issues with the Catholic Church public causing a rift in the Catholic Church (Sachsen-Anhalt). This was the beginning of the Reformation and the birthplace of protestant Christianity. This makes the area a hub for Christian tourists.

The population of Saxony-Anhalt is approximately 2.45 million people. The largest city is Halle which serves as a dominant university and service center (Berentsen). The capital Magdeburg serves as the center of activity in the northern part of the state. The Harz region of Saxony-Anhalt is part of an important national park that is composed of low mountains and hills. This area is an important tourist attraction which brings in many German tourists (Berentsen).

 

Berentsen, William. "Saxony-Anhalt." 2014. Encyclopedia Britannica. 8 September 2014.

Sachsen-Anhalt. Sachen-Anhalt. 2014. 9 September 2014.



Class Expectations

In German 110 I expect to learn about the history of Germany, the customs and city life, and aspects of German culture that have carried over into American culture. I am also curious about which German traits and traditions run in my family. It would also be interesting to see the true German landscape, not just the burning rubble piles one sees in war movies. Overall, I'm interested in the culture of my ancestors.