Ships and the Hanseatic Merchant Fleet

The Hanseatic League’s commercial dominance rested on its control of the merchant fleet of the Baltic and the North Sea. The cogs and hulks of the League’s merchants were, in the late Middle Ages, the largest and most numerous vessels in northern Europe, and they carried the goods of the Baltic to the markets of the West and the goods of the West to the markets of the Baltic. The League’s fleet was also the principal naval force of the region, and it was used to enforce the League’s policies, to suppress piracy, and to defend the League’s interests in the wars with Denmark, Burgundy, and the pirates of the Baltic.

This article describes the ships of the League, beginning with the cog, the workhorse of the Hanseatic merchant fleet, continuing with the hulk, the great ship of the late Middle Ages, and ending with the smaller vessels that served the coastal trade. The article also describes the shipbuilders who built the ships, the sailors who sailed them, and the merchants who owned them.

A comparison of the principal Hanseatic ships

Ship	Period	Masts	Cargo capacity	Use
Cog	13th–15th c.	1 (square sail)	100–200 t (up to 300 t)	Baltic and North Sea cargo
Hulk (Holk)	14th–16th c.	2–3	300–500 t (up to 1,000 t)	Long-distance, Atlantic; warship
Ewer	14th–16th c.	1	20–60 t	Coastal trade
Barke	14th–16th c.	Oars	5–15 t	River trade
Schnigge	14th–16th c.	1 + oars	30–80 t	Fishing, light cargo
Kraweel	14th–16th c.	1–2	50–100 t	Baltic coastal trade

The figures are approximate. The exact capacity of a medieval ship was a function of its length, beam, and draft, and a single ship’s name does not always guarantee a single type.

The cog

The cog was the workhorse of the Hanseatic merchant fleet, and it was the ship that the League used to build its commercial dominance. The cog was a single-masted, square-rigged vessel with a high, blunt bow, a flat bottom, and a single deck. The cog was developed in the course of the thirteenth century, and it was a significant improvement over the older Viking-style vessels. The cog’s high sides and flat bottom made it stable in heavy seas, and its single square sail made it easy to handle with a small crew. The cog was also capacious: a typical cog could carry 100 to 200 tons of cargo, and the largest cogs could carry up to 300 tons.

The cog was, in the first instance, a ship of the Baltic. It was developed in the shipyards of the Wendish towns, and it was used principally for the trade of the southern Baltic. The cog’s flat bottom made it ideal for the shallow waters of the Baltic, and its high sides made it suitable for the often stormy waters of the North Sea. The cog’s principal disadvantage was its dependence on wind: in calm weather the cog could not move, and in the narrow waters of the Baltic it sometimes had to be towed by rowboats.

The cog is treated at greater length in the article on the trade routes and the article on the golden age. For the wars in which the cog fleet played a role, see the article on the major conflicts.

The hulk

The hulk, also called the Holk, was the great ship of the Hanseatic merchant fleet, and it was the ship that the League used to extend its commercial reach to the most distant markets. The hulk was developed in the course of the fourteenth century, and it was a significant improvement over the cog. The hulk had two or three masts, a higher freeboard, and a larger cargo capacity. A typical hulk could carry 300 to 500 tons of cargo, and the largest hulks could carry up to 1,000 tons.

The hulk was, in the first instance, a ship of the North Sea. It was developed in the shipyards of the Low Countries, and it was used principally for the trade with England, Flanders, and France. The hulk’s greater size made it suitable for the long voyages of the Atlantic trade, and its two or three masts made it easier to handle in the often stormy waters of the North Sea. The hulk’s principal disadvantage was its cost: a hulk was several times more expensive than a cog, and only the wealthiest merchants could afford to own one.

The hulk was also the principal warship of the League. The great wars of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were fought with hulks, and the League’s fleet of hulks was, in the early fifteenth century, the largest naval force in northern Europe. The hulks were used to enforce the League’s embargoes, to suppress piracy, and to defend the League’s interests in the wars with Denmark and Burgundy.

The smaller vessels

In addition to the great cogs and hulks, the Hanseatic merchant fleet included a wide range of smaller vessels, used for the coastal trade, the river trade, and the fishing. The smaller vessels included the Ewer, a small, single-masted vessel used for the coastal trade; the Barke, a small, oared vessel used for the river trade; the Schnigge, a small, fast vessel used for the fishing; and the Kraweel, a small, sturdy vessel used for the Baltic trade.

The smaller vessels were, in many ways, the backbone of the Hanseatic trading system. The great cogs and hulks carried the bulk goods on the long voyages, but the smaller vessels carried the bulk goods on the short voyages, the high-value goods on the river trade, and the passengers and the mail. The smaller vessels were also more numerous than the great vessels, and they were the principal means by which the goods of the Baltic reached the inland markets.

The shipbuilders

The ships of the League were built in the shipyards of the Baltic, and the shipbuilders of the Baltic were, in the late Middle Ages, among the most skilled in Europe. The principal shipyards were in Lübeck, Hamburg, Stralsund, Wismar, Danzig, and Riga, and each of these shipyards had its own traditions and its own specialities. The Lübeck shipyards were famous for the quality of their cogs, the Hamburg shipyards for the quality of their hulks, the Stralsund shipyards for the quality of their smaller vessels, the Danzig shipyards for the quality of their river vessels, and the Riga shipyards for the quality of their fishing vessels.

The shipbuilders of the Baltic used, in the first instance, the timber of the surrounding forests. The great oaks of the western Baltic were used for the keels, the frames, and the planking; the pines of the eastern Baltic were used for the masts and the spars; the elms and the ashes of the inland forests were used for the oars and the tholes. The shipbuilders also used the naval stores of the eastern Baltic: tar and pitch for the caulking, hemp and flax for the cordage and the sails.

A specific note on ship names: the names of Hanseatic ship types (cog, hulk, ewer, barke, schnigge, kraweel) are attested in medieval sources, but the relationship between name and type is not always consistent. A kraweel in one source appears as a kravel in another, and the same name can refer to slightly different vessels in different periods or shipyards.

The sailors

The ships of the League were sailed by sailors from the cities of the Baltic and the North Sea. The sailors of the League were, in the first instance, men from the coastal towns: the Wendish towns of the southern Baltic, the Low German towns of the North Sea coast, the Frisian towns of the western North Sea, and the Saxon towns of the Elbe. The sailors were organised in guilds, and the guilds regulated the conditions of employment, the wages, and the rights of the sailors.

The sailors of the League were, by the standards of the time, well paid. A sailor on a cog could earn as much as a skilled craftsman in a city, and the captain of a cog could earn several times as much. The sailors were also, by the standards of the time, well treated. The ships of the League were required by Hansetag ordinance to carry a certain amount of fresh water, a certain amount of food, and a certain amount of medical supplies, and the sailors were entitled to a fair share of the profits of the voyage.

The sailors of the League were, however, exposed to the dangers of the sea. Storms, shipwrecks, and piracy were constant threats, and the loss of a single ship could ruin a merchant. The League maintained a system of lighthouses, buoys, and markers to guide the ships through the dangerous waters of the Baltic and the North Sea.

The merchants

The ships of the League were owned by the merchants of the League, and the merchants were, in the first instance, the men who provided the capital for the voyages, the goods that were carried, and the connections that made the trade possible. The great merchants of the League owned multiple ships, and they were the principal beneficiaries of the trading system. The smaller merchants owned shares in ships, and they participated in the profits of the voyages in proportion to their shares.

The merchants of the League were organised in guilds, and the guilds regulated the conduct of trade, the quality of the goods, and the relations among the merchants. The guilds also maintained the warehouses, the hostels, and the other facilities that the merchants needed for their trade.

A specific note on the Schiffspartreder — the part-owner of a ship: this was a common arrangement in the Hanseatic merchant fleet. A single ship might be owned by 5 to 20 Schiffspartreder (each holding a Part or share), and the profits of a voyage were divided according to the shares. The arrangement allowed merchants of more modest means to participate in long-distance trade, and it spread the risk of any single voyage. The system is the medieval ancestor of joint-stock shipping companies.