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autonomy. Thus, the regulations against urban riots passed during the ‘Golden
Age of the Hanseatic League’ are closely related to their reservations in taking
over general and long-lasting obligations.
After 1350, the Hanseatic League was without any doubt mostly successful
in maintaining and even extending the privileges which it had received earlier.
This was achieved by its new institutions, the Hansetage and the closer alli-
ances, while the old instrument of blockade lost much of its importance as
becomes finally clear from the events in Bruges before 1458. Sometimes the
towns were favoured by the circumstances like in the peace of Vordingborg
(1435) or in that of Utrecht (1474), but in other contexts they proved at least
equal to their opponents. Nevertheless, it goes too far to call the Hanseatic
League a ‘great Northern European power’, even after 1370. Its potential was
limited. The towns were able to control fortresses like that of the Øresund
or other towns like Stockholm (1395–1398) only for some time, and their
successes often depended on intensive diplomacy or support by territorial
powers. In this perspective, e.g., the ‘decline’ from the peace of Stralsund to
that of Vordingborg is not as sharp as it may seem.
In general, the years from 1350 to 1474 were a formative period in the his-
tory of the Hanseatic League. While the Kontore had developed before, the
Hansetage and general alliances of the towns followed after 1350. And it was
the ‘Golden Age’ which in fact shaped the public perception of the Hanseatic
League that is most prevalent today.