128 Burkhardt
The Four Kontors
Let’s first take a closer look at the Hansekontors in London, Bruges, Bergen, and
Novgorod. I will try to point out similarities and differences between the four
kontors and their organization. We will look closely at the geographical condi-
tions of the four towns, the internal organization of the kontors, trade and life
in the different towns, and the place of the four kontors in a general Hanseatic
economic and political perspective.
However, there is one important question to discuss first: Why did Hanseatic
merchants organize their trading activities abroad in kontors?
Kontors and Privileges
The literature provides many different answers to the question: why did
Hanseatic merchants establish kontors in London, Bruges, Bergen, and
Novgorod? Since discussions on these theories could fill a whole book, I will
concentrate on one particular motive that, like a golden thread, penetrates all
of these answers—Security.
Security is most likely the main reason for establishing Hanseatic kontors. In
a general organizational view, Hanseatic towns saw the kontors as institutions
guaranteeing the trade privileges that Hanseatic trade in the Middle Ages was
based upon. The privileges, or freedoms as they often were called in contem-
porary sources, mainly included certified rights regarding taxes and duties and
toll payments to the respective towns, lords, or kings. Simultaneously, the privi-
leges gave merchants a certain amount of self-jurisdiction. In some cases, mer-
chants were given certain freedoms in their trade, which gave the Hansards
an economic advantage over their competitors. However, these privileges did
not provide eternal security. They could be changed, withdrawn, or extended
at any given time, as many examples from each of the four kontors illustrate.
When a new ruler ascended the throne, the privileges had to be renewed. This
process often led to renegotiations and intriguing political activity among all
participants, including the Hansards’ competitors. To effectively represent all
Hanseatic merchants with interests in a specific market, large organizations of
Hansards banded together. As larger organizations, they could negotiate much
stronger points than single merchants or smaller groups had the ability to. To
make use of Niklas Luhman’s system theory, the kontors enabled the Hanseatic
towns to participate in a political system of the respective reigns. However, it
is important to note that they did not want to appear as one political corpus.