Growing from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the Hanseatic League — a powerful network of merchant guilds and market towns — dominated trade across almost 200 settlements in seven modern-day countries. But how did it function and manage to become so successful over such a vast region?

In this edition of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about the Hanse from Dr. Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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