traversed by the Hanseatic vessels.

But the most extraordinary privilege granted by this treaty was that
making the subsequent election of a king for Denmark subject to the
approval of the confederation--thus assigning to the burghers a right
such as no king or emperor of that time exercised over a foreign
state. The confederates, however, wisely declined to avail themselves
of this dangerous prerogative, not only for political reasons, but
also because of the clever negotiations of the youthful queen
Margaret, the daughter and heir of Waldemar, who, by the union of
Kalmar in 1397, became invested with the triple crown of Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden. The fact remains, however, that the Hansa for the
ensuing century and a half maintained its title as the foremost of
maritime and as one of the principal political powers--and that
entirely unaided and without the sanction of kaiser or empire.

Let us take a very general survey of this glorious period, concerning
which many interesting disclosures have recently been made, and
endeavor to obtain, if possible, a glimpse of the activity of these
busy cities and of the confederation which they formed.

As to commerce, the first task which the confederation set itself to
fulfil was the abolition of that early mediæval condition which
inclined to regard the stranger in foreign parts as devoid of rights.
The efforts of the confederation in this particular resulted in the
acquisition of hundreds of privileges, secured either singly or
conjointly by the cities. The contents of the treaties are usually the
same: (1) Protection of person and goods; (2) abolition of the law
which declared forfeit to the feudal lord such goods as, for instance,
might happen to fall from a wagon and thereby touch the ground; (3)