| Noun | 1. | Hanseatic League - a commercial and defensive confederation of free cities in northern Germany and surrounding areas; formed in 1241 and most influential in the 14th century when it included over 100 towns and functioned as an independent political power; the last official assembly was held in 1669 Bergen - a port city in southwestern Norway Bremen - a city of northwestern Germany linked by the Weser River to the port of Bremerhaven and the North Sea; in the Middle Ages it was a leading member of the Hanseatic League Dortmund - an industrial city in northwestern Germany; flourished from the 13th to 17th century as a member of the Hanseatic League Cologne, Koln - a commercial center and river port in western Germany on the Rhine River; flourished during the 15th century as a member of the Hanseatic League Halle, Halle-an-der-Saale - a city in the Saxony region of Germany on the Saale River; a member of the Hanseatic League during the 13th and 14th centuries Hamburg - a port city in northern Germany on the Elbe River that was founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century and is today the largest port in Germany; in 1241 it formed an alliance with Lubeck that became the basis for the Hanseatic League Lubeck - a city in northwestern Germany and an important Baltic port; a leading member of the Hanseatic League Rostock - a city in northeastern Germany near the Baltic sea; an important member of the Hanseatic League in the 14th century Bruges, City of Bridges - a city in northwestern Belgium that is connected by canal to the North Sea; in the 13th century it was a leading member of the Hanseatic League; the old city (known as the City of Bridges) is a popular tourist attraction Danzig, Gdansk - a port city of northern Poland near the mouth of the Vistula River on a gulf of the Baltic Sea; a member of the Hanseatic League in the 14th century Tartu - a city of southeastern Estonia that was a member of the Hanseatic League capital of Latvia, Riga - a port city on the Gulf of Riga that is the capital and largest city of Latvia; formerly a member of the Hanseatic League |