hanse towns
Hanse Towns (hans). Hist. The collective name of certain German cities — including Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen — that allied in the 12th century to protect and further their mutual commercial interests. • This alliance was usu. called the Hanseatic League. The League framed and promulgated a code of maritime law known as the Laws of the Hanse Towns, or Jus Hanseaticum Maritimum. The League’s power peaked in the 14th century, then gradually declined until 1669, when the last general assembly was held.