In the following centuries, Riga flourished, becoming a large trading city, selling things such as furs, honey, and wax to larger countries. After the conquest, the Germans formed a so-called Livonian confederation, which lasted for more than three centuries. This feudalistic organization was not a happy one, its three components - the Teutonic Order, the archbishopric of Riga, and the free city of Riga - were in constant dispute with one another. Moreover, the vulnerability of land frontiers caused frequent wars. The Latvians, however, benefited from Riga's joining the Hanseatic League in 1282, as the league's trade brought prosperity, which later lasted through 200 years when it was run by the Russian Empire.