For the German merchants living in Bergen, prosperity arrived by ship. From the Hanseatic Kontor on the city’s waterfront, stockfish was exported across northern Europe. Merchants depended on a network of maritime routes stretching from Norway to ports around the North and Baltic Seas. As long as ships kept moving, business flourished. But what happened when those routes became targets?<\/p>\n
Who Were the Vitalienbr\u00fcder?<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1393, Bergen was attacked by the so called Vitalienbr\u00fcder. The raid is often remembered as an episode of medieval piracy. Yet according to historians the story is more complicated.Professor Dr. Gregor Rohmann, a German historian, is researching the classification of the group. \u201cThe popular image of the Vitalienbr\u00fcder is that of some kind of pirate gang or pirate company that emerged during a war,\u201d he explains. However Rohmann suggest that the group was less organized than the legends imply.<\/p>\n