GERMANY AND THE SEA FROM THE MIDDLE AGES UNTIL THE 19TH CENTURY

Although Germany was an empire with a long history dating back into the 10th century, it had never aspired to become a sea power until the mid-19th century. Its rulers had concentrated all their efforts upon defending Germany's borders, or conquering new territories in Europe. Building a fleet like the kings of Britain, France, or Spain in order to found colonies overseas had never been a viable political option. The Hanseatic League founded in the 13th century was nothing but a commercial association. Powerful and rich in the 14th and 15th centuries, its influence started to decline in the 16th century due to economic crises, the rise of rival powers in the Baltic and the impact of globalization on trade after the discovery of the New World in 1492. The small fleet built up by Frederick William, the Great Elector of Brandenburg, at the end of the 17th century and the colony founded on the west coast of Africa were only a short interval. His successors were neither able to provide sufficient financial resources nor willing to turn Prussia into a maritime power. Their interests lay in Eastern Europe, not overseas.