The Herring Trade of the Hanseatic League
The herring trade was, for most of the League’s history, the most important of the Hanseatic commercial activities. The herring was caught in the waters around the island of Scania (Skåne), which was Danish territory until 1658, and the herring was salted, packed in barrels, and exported to the markets of the West. The herring trade was the principal source of the wealth of the League’s herring merchants, and the herring trade was the principal channel through which the League’s commercial dominance was asserted.
The fishing season
The herring season began in August and ran through October, with the great catch of the late summer drawing thousands of boats and tens of thousands of workers. The herring was caught in drift nets, salted on board the boats or on the shore, and packed in barrels for export. The principal type of herring was the Sild, the small, fat herring that was caught in the late summer, and the Sild was the herring that was most prized in the markets of the West.
League control
The herring trade was closely controlled by the League. The Hansetag fixed the prices at which the herring could be sold, the barrels in which it had to be packed, the quality grades that had to be observed, and the times at which the season opened and closed. The herring trade was also closely linked to the salt trade: the salt from Lüneburg was essential for the preservation of the herring, and the League’s control of the salt gave it a decisive advantage in the herring trade.
A Lenten and year-round trade
The herring trade was, in the first instance, a Lenten trade, and the herring was the principal source of protein for the faithful during the Lenten fast. The herring trade was, however, also a year-round trade, and the herring was eaten throughout the year by all classes of society. The herring was prepared in a great variety of ways, and the herring was an important part of the diet of the people of northern Europe.
A high-volume business
The herring trade was, in the late Middle Ages, a high-volume business: the great herring fleets of the fifteenth century could carry thousands of tons at a time, and the herring was sold in markets throughout Europe. The herring was particularly important in the Baltic, where the herring was a staple food, and the herring was also important in the North Sea, where the herring was a valuable export.
A source of conflict
The herring trade was, however, also a source of conflict. The herring fisheries of the Sound were, in the late Middle Ages, the principal source of revenue for the Danish crown, and the Danish kings were determined to assert their control over the fisheries. The herring trade was, accordingly, one of the principal causes of the wars between the League and the Danish crown, and the herring trade was one of the principal subjects of the treaties between the League and the Danish crown.