Episode 16 - Decline and Fall (Part 2)

1531-1535, a period of just 4 years is enough to capsize Lübeck’s position as the diplomatic heart of the Baltic Sea, general secretary of the Hanse, ally of both the king of Denmark and the king of Sweden and early member of the Schmalkaldic League. How can that happen?As Edward Gibbon would say: History, in fact, is no more than a list of crimes of humanity, human follies and accidents”.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comFacebook: @HOTGPod Twitter: @germanshistoryInstagram: history_of_the_germansReddit: u/historyofthegermansPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofthegermansBibliography:Rainer Postel: Der Niedergang der Hansein Hanse, Lebenswirklichkeit und Mythos: RIOPAC (regesta-imperii.de)Jahnke, Carsten: Die Hanse | Reclam VerlagPhilipp Dollinger: Die Hanse

Om Podcasten

Though the Hanseatic League ended formally in 1669, this medieval associations of merchants still casts a spell. Many cities along the Baltic and North Sea are proud to call themselves Hanseatic. But what was it about this organisation (if it even was one) that had no permanent institutions, not even a register of members and started out at the far fringes of the global trading system that feels still so relevant. This podcast series tries to get to the bottom of this. Episodes are 30-35 min long and are published every Friday. The Hanseatic League is also Season 6 of the History of the Germans Podcast, a narrative history of the German people from 919 to 1991: https://podfollow.com/history-of-the-germans