The trade association of northern Europe made up of more than one hundred cities, revolutionizing trade

• A. Baltic Confederation
• B. North Sea Merchants
• C. Hanseatic League
• D. Rhine League

Answer: (C)

The main idea this question tests is how medieval Northern European trade became more coordinated and powerful through a formal network of towns. The Hanseatic League fits perfectly because it was a vast federation of more than a hundred northern European cities—led by Lübeck—that banded together to protect merchants, standardize practices, and control key trade routes across the Baltic and North Seas. By creating a coordinated system of privileges, laws, and commercial agreements, the league made long-distance trade safer and more efficient. It also established trading posts and offices, such as kontors in places like London, Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod, which helped standardize rules, extend credit, and secure shipments. This combination of collective security, legal uniformity, and a wide, interconnected network is what truly revolutionized trade in the era.

Other names listed aren’t the same well-known organization the question describes. They do not capture the same breadth, consolidation, or historical prominence across the Baltic and North Sea that the Hanseatic League achieved.