Hanseatic relations with the Teutonic Order and the Prussian ports (c. 1300–1454)

1. Teutonic Order secures Pomerelia by Treaty of Soldin

   Sep 13, 1309Labels: Teutonic Order, Pomerelia, Danzig

   The Teutonic Order bought Brandenburg’s claims to Danzig (Gdańsk) and much of Pomerelia, strengthening its control of the lower Vistula and gaining a direct route to the Baltic. This mattered for Hanseatic trade because it placed key export routes and port access under a militarized territorial state. The deal set the political framework that Hanseatic merchants in Prussian ports would have to navigate throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.

   • Treaty Soldin
   • Teutonic Danzig

2. Peace of Kalisz stabilizes Polish–Teutonic borders

   Jul 8, 1343Labels: Poland, Teutonic Order, Peace of

   Poland and the Teutonic Order agreed a peace that reduced the immediate risk of war over key borderlands. Even though disputes continued, the treaty created a period of greater predictability for merchants moving goods down the Vistula and through the Prussian ports. In practice, political stability supported the growth of Baltic bulk exports such as grain and timber handled by Hanseatic-linked towns.

   • Treaty Kalisz
   • Britannica Hansa

3. Teutonic Order reaches high prestige under Kniprode

   Jan 1, 1351Labels: Teutonic Order, Knieprode, Prussia

   During the mid-to-late 14th century, the Teutonic Order’s state in Prussia reached a peak of international standing, with strong military capacity and wide diplomatic links. This mattered for Hanseatic-Prussian trade because the Order could police coasts and sea lanes while also imposing taxes and controls on its port cities. The relationship was therefore both cooperative (security and infrastructure) and tense (autonomy and revenue).

   • Teutonic Order

4. Gdańsk (Danzig) joins the Hanseatic League

   Jan 1, 1358Labels: Gda sk, Hanseatic League

   Gdańsk entered the Hanseatic League, connecting the port more tightly to the League’s routes, commercial rules, and mutual support networks. This increased the city’s role as a gateway between inland producers (via the Vistula River system) and sea routes across the Baltic and North Sea. For the Teutonic Order, a major city within its territory now had stronger external commercial ties and collective leverage through the Hansa.

   • Gda sk

5. Hanseatic victory formalized in Treaty of Stralsund

   May 24, 1370Labels: Hanseatic League, Treaty of

   After war with Denmark, the Hanseatic League secured major trading and political concessions in the Treaty of Stralsund. The agreement strengthened Hanseatic influence over Baltic shipping routes and key commercial chokepoints, helping Prussian ports expand long-distance trade. Stronger League bargaining power also changed the balance in negotiations with territorial rulers, including the Teutonic Order.

   • Britannica Stralsund
   • Stralsund Treaty

6. Peace of Brześć Kujawski limits Teutonic interference

   Dec 31, 1435Labels: Peace of, Teutonic Order

   The peace ending the 1431–1435 conflict restricted the Teutonic Order’s ability to intervene in Polish–Lithuanian politics. This reduced the Order’s room to use foreign-policy pressure as a tool against Prussian towns and their trading partners. The settlement helped set the stage for greater internal opposition in Prussia, where cities and nobles increasingly organized to defend rights and reduce burdens.

   • Brze Peace

7. Prussian Confederation formed by towns and nobles

   Feb 21, 1440Labels: Prussian Confederation, Danzig

   Representatives of major Prussian cities and regional elites formed the Prussian Confederation to oppose what they saw as arbitrary rule by the Teutonic Order. Hanseatic-connected cities such as Danzig (Gdańsk), Elbing (Elbląg), and Thorn (Toruń) played leading roles. The organization turned economic grievances—especially taxes and governance—into coordinated political action.

   • Prussian Confed

8. Prussian Confederation appeals to Poland; war begins

   Feb 4, 1454Labels: Prussian Confederation, Poland, Casimir IV

   The Confederation asked King Casimir IV of Poland for support against the Teutonic Order, helping trigger open conflict. This was a turning point for trade: the same ports that powered Prussia’s exports became wartime objectives and finance centers. The conflict that followed disrupted shipping, raised costs, and forced cities to choose sides between the Order and the Polish crown.

   • 13 Years War
   • Britannica War

9. Siege of Marienburg signals struggle for Order’s center

   Feb 27, 1454Labels: Marienburg, Teutonic Order

   Forces aligned with the Prussian Confederation and Poland besieged Marienburg (Malbork), the Teutonic Order’s capital, highlighting how the conflict targeted the state’s administrative and financial core. Control of Marienburg mattered because it affected taxation, legal authority, and the ability to supply armies—all of which shaped how port cities could trade and negotiate. Even without an immediate decisive result, the siege showed that the Order’s position in Prussia was no longer secure.

   • Marienburg Siege
   • Britannica War

10. Battle of Chojnice checks early Polish-Confederation momentum

    Sep 18, 1454Labels: Battle of, Teutonic Order

    The Teutonic Order won a major early battle at Chojnice, showing it still had significant military strength and allies. This prolonged the war and extended economic disruption for Prussian ports, which had to fund forces and manage interrupted trade. The longer conflict also increased pressure on urban autonomy, as cities faced wartime levies and security risks at sea and on land routes.

    • Chojnice 1454
    • 13 Years War

11. Transfer of key castles to Poland reshapes Prussian power

    Jun 6, 1457Labels: Marienburg, Poland

    Teutonic mercenaries agreed to sell major castles, including Marienburg, to Poland, and these strongpoints were transferred to Polish forces in June 1457. With key fortresses changing hands, authority over surrounding lands and trade routes shifted away from the Order. For Hanseatic Prussian cities, this shift strengthened their position within a Polish-backed political order while the war still continued.

    • 13 Years War

12. Relations reset as Thirteen Years’ War ends

    Oct 19, 1466Labels: Second Peace, Poland, Teutonic Order

    The Second Peace of Thorn ended the war and divided the former Teutonic state, with major western areas (including key port cities) coming under the Polish crown while the Order remained in the east as a Polish fief. This outcome marked a clear break from the earlier era when the Teutonic Order had dominated the main Prussian ports. The settlement created a new political context for Hanseatic trade from Prussia: ports remained commercially important, but their governing framework and alliances had fundamentally changed.

    • Britannica War
    • 2nd Thorn Peace