Question

What was the Hanseatic League?
A.Tribal war group
B.Group of European kings
C.Merchant guild
D.Group of Roman priests

Answer 1

Hint: Hanseatic League has derived its name from a medieval German word called "Hanse" which means "an association". It was mostly used for trade purposes.

Complete answer: Hanseatic League, also called Hansa, is an association of merchants of the northern towns of Germany in the 12th Century. This organisation protected the mutual trading interests of merchants in its member cities. The league originated from the groupings of traders mainly present in two areas.
-in the east, where German merchants had a monopoly of the Baltic trade
-in the west, where Rhineland merchants were present in England and Low Countries(Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg)
The league grew out of an organisation called the medieval league which protected its members from extortion and domination by the upper class. The federation emerged as the dominant power in Europe in trade and commerce. Lübeck is also known as "Queen of the Hanseatic League" and held a central position in its functioning. A set of common trade tariffs and taxes were fixed for the merchants’ guilds under the league. The league's members traded in copper, fish, flax, furs, grain, honey, iron, resin, salt, and textiles, among other goods.
Thus, option (C) is the correct answer.

Note: It is important to note that the alliance of Hanseatic League was among the trading guilds of the member towns, not among the towns themselves. At present, to mark the re-establishment of Hanseatic League, The Hanseatic Days are held annually in one of the member cities since 1980.