Term
Likedeeler
Etymology
Middle Low German, “equal sharers,” from lik (equal) and deel (share, portion).
Definition
The successor fraternity to the Victualbrüder, organised around 1398 under an arrangement that divided prize cargoes equally among the entire crew rather than along conventional hierarchical shares. The Likedeeler operated from bases in the East Frisian Islands and along the East Frisian coast against Hanseatic League shipping in the Baltic and the North Sea until its suppression by the Hamburg fleet in 1401.
