ror was engaged in maturing and executing
mighty plans of world conquest, developed upon this virgin soil an
extraordinary colonial activity, transplanting hither German peasants,
burghers, and priests, and with them German customs and Christian
civilization. In this way there arose about the year A.D. 1200, upon
soil wrested from the Slavs, a number of promising towns, foremost
among which was Lubeck, a place endowed by Duke Henry with municipal
rights especially designed to promote commercial intercourse and
affording liberal and far-reaching privileges to the counsellors and
burghers. Soon thereafter the rapidly developing neighboring cities of
Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklam, and Stettin, usually
called "the Wendish cities," became participants in the constitution
thus granted. The territory now grew rapidly. In the course of the
thirteenth century, the then pagan country of Prussia and the present
Baltic provinces of Russia were conquered by the Teutonic knights and
kindred orders and were occupied and settled. The same historical
process which took place in Greece, and in more recent times in
America, also repeated itself here: the youthful colonial offshoots
overcame the narrowing and confining influence of the mother country,
yet reacted favorably upon it by virtue of that vivifying influence,
due to more rapid and exuberant growth.

In the mean time the other countries contiguous to the North and
Baltic seas, that is, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and England,
had become converted to Christianity. Some of them, indeed, had
embraced the Christian creed several centuries prior to this time. The
natural consequence was that a lively intercourse was cultivated upon
the two seas, especially after the crusades, which enterprises, by
opening new avenues of commerce and increasing the knowledge
concerning numerous articles of utility, had greatly augmented the
demands of the people of the Occident. The extraordinary development
of trade on the Baltic, indeed, vividly recalls the ancient commercial
activity on the Mediterranean; and the phrase, "a basin fruitful of
culture," often applied to the latter region, may with equal justice
be applied also to the former. In the beginning, Russians, Danes, and
Englishmen participated in the active trade conducted on the northern
littoral. Eventually, however, they were displaced by their German
rivals. As the northern nations upon their acceptance of Christiani