Hanse
/hæns/noun
Middle School
1
A merchant guild, particularly the Fellowship of London Merchants (the "Old Hanse") given a monopoly on London's foreign trade by the Normans or its successor, the Company of Merchant Adventurers (the "New Hanse"), incorporated in 1497 and chartered under Henry VII and Elizabeth I.
2
The rights and privileges of such guilds, particularly their trade monopolies.
3
A commercial association of Scottish free burghs in the Middle Ages.
4
The Hanseatic League: a commercial association of German towns in the Middle Ages.
5
Alternative form of hanse, the fees payable to a Hanse or its guildhall.