What kind of association was the Hanseatic League?

Historians now refer to it as the “Hansa” because hansa means league.

I thought the Ferengi laws, of Deep Space Nine, were based on the stringent rules of the Hanseatic League, just as the cultural influence of the Klingons were based on Nordic Vikings sense of honor and rules.

Olly, Because the League crossed borders. They weren't from any particular fiefdom or kingdom. They could trade throughout most of northern Europe and the nobility couldn't own it.

ProudCanadian, The 16th Century would mean the 1500s. So is 1669 wrong or did the writer mean the17th Century?

I found this explanation overly complicated. Wikipedia says some of the items traded were:  timber, wax, amber, resins, and furs, along with rye and wheat.

Player#29684811 - I don't understand your reasoning. Why should a group of merchant companies & individuals be "inherently political"?

I had to look up "diet" in this context.