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Hanseatʹic League

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The first trade union; it was established in the twelfth century by certain cities of Northern Germany for their mutual prosperity and protection. The diet which used to be held every three years was called the Hansa, and the members of it Hansards. The league in its prosperity comprised eighty-five towns; it declined rapidly in the Thirty Yearsʹ War; in 1669 only six cities were represented; and the last three members of the league (Hamburg, Lübeck, and Bremen) joined the German Customs Unionsʹ in 1889. (German, am-see, on the sea; and the league was originally called the Am-secstaaten, free cities on the sea.)

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Hanging Gale (The)
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Hangman’s Acre, Gains, and Gain’s Alley (London)
Hangman’s Wages
Hangmen and Executioners
Hankey Pankey
Hanoverian Shield
Hans von Rippach [rip-pak]
Hansards
Hanse Towns
Hanseatic League
Hansel
Hansel Monday
Hansom (A)
Hapmouche
Happy Arabia
Happy Expression (A)
Happy-go-lucky (A)
Happy Valley
Happy as a Clam at High Tide
Happy as a King

See Also:

Hanseatic League