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Crantzius, also know as Albert Krantz (1448-1517), was a Hanseatic League diplomat as well as a noted historian and theologian. His most famous quote is "Brother, Brother, go to your cell and say 'God forgive me!'," reportedly ad-libbed upon hearing that Martin Luther had posted his 95 Theses.
The Hanseatic League, you probably recall, was a 12-century Triple-A alliance of merchants which had its beginnings when the herring fishermen of Luebeck and the salt miners of Hamburg discovered they could make Blind Robbins if they got together. Eventually, over 60 cities added franchises to trade commodities. In 1468, The “Hansa”, as they called themselves, screwed up bigtime when the Danes seized some English ships. Edward IV retaliated by putting Hanseatic merchants in jail, or “gaol”, as he called it. Things went downhill quickly after that, and by the time Crantzius croaked, trade competition from the Dutch and English along with increased tensions due to the Reformation pretty much ended it for them. The discovery of America also contributed to their demise, since people were less interested in Blind Robbins once they could have tomatoes, jalapenos, potatoes, and corn.
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