In his work the name Baltic first Occurs.
His geographical descriptions extend to the British isles; but of them he
relates merely the fabulous stories of Solinus, &c. The figure of the
earth, and the cause of the inequality of the length of the day and night,
were known to Adam of Bremen.
About the middle of the twelfth century, Lubeck was founded; and it soon
became a place of considerable trade, being the resort of merchants from
all the countries of the North, and having a mint, custom-house, &c. We
shall afterwards be called upon to notice it more particularly, when we
come to trace the origin and history of the Hanseatic League. At present we
shall only mention, that within thirty years after it was founded, and
before the establishment of the League, Lubeck was so celebrated for its
commerce, that the Genoese permitted its merchants to trade in the
Mediterranean on board their vessels, on the same footing with their own
citizens. The success of the Lubeckers stimulated the other inhabitants of
this part of the Baltic shores; and the bishop of Lunden founded a city in
Zealand, for the express purpose of being a place of trade, as its name,
Keopman's haven, Chapman's haven, (Copenhagen,) implies. Towards the close
of this century, Hamburgh is noticed as a place of trade.
The two cities of Lubeck and Hamburgh are generally regarded as having laid
the foundation of the Hanseatic League.
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