70 Sarnowsky
It was probably the success of the blockade in Flanders that encouraged
them to resist Waldemar, who had at this point considerably strengthened his
position.25
Already in the beginning of August 1361, an unknown group of representa-
tives of the town councils gathered in Greifswald and preliminarily decided
to suspend all relations with Denmark and Scania. Anyone wanting to sail to
Flanders through the Øresund had to be careful not to trade with its merchants;
otherwise he would be severely punished.26 The final decision was postponed
to an assembly some weeks later when negotiations with Norway and Sweden
had begun and more envoys of towns had arrived so that finally the Wendish,
Pomeranian, and Prussian towns were represented.
The records, which are dated 7 September 1361, list Lübeck, Hamburg,
Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklam, Stettin, Kolberg, Kulm, and
Danzig. Any trade with Denmark and Scania was forbidden and an alliance
was concluded with Kings Magnus of Sweden and Håkon of Norway. For the
first time, it was decided to exact a special custom, the Pfundzoll, to finance
the war. This was to be paid in all towns at the Sea and also in Prussia, from all
ships and goods that were exported from their harbours and countries, and was
fixed at 0.56 percent of the value of the ships and goods reckoned in Flemish
pounds groot (four ‘English pennies’ or sterlings per pound).27 Once paid, the
merchants and skippers received documents to prove that they had paid the
custom and were freed from any further exaction. The period for the levying of
the duty was limited to 29 September 1362.28 This was an important decision.
At this point, there were only common duties in the trading posts, the Kontore,
which only German merchants had to pay, while the right to exact customs
generally was reserved to the territorial lords and princes. Now the towns
claimed this right for themselves which could lead into conflict in territories
with strong authorities like in Prussia, which was dominated by the Teutonic
Knights, especially since the duty had to be paid by everyone. Nevertheless,
the incoming money would help the towns to finance a war that would nor-
mally end up with debts. Though this first levy proved to be a failure—mainly
25 Erich Hoffmann, “Konflikte und Ausgleich mit den skandinavischen Reichen,” in Die
Hanse. Lebenswirklichkeit und Mythos, 66–77, at 71; but cf. Götze, “Stralsund,” 86.
26 hr i 1, 258.
27 Four ‘English pennies’ or sterlings were 1⅓ groot; the Flemish pound groot was mostly reck-
oned in 20 shillings or 240 groot or 720 ‘English pennies’ or 5760 mytes, cf. Peter Spufford,
Handbook of Medieval Exchange, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, vol. 13
(London: Royal Historical Society, 1986), 215 and 255.
28 hr i, 1, 259 § 2.