She may still be very young and, moreover, it is unusual for a woman to be involved in such a business as the amber trade. But no one should underestimate Barbara Heusenbrink. Not for long and she will be in no way inferior to her father, who is not called the Amber King for nothing. Now that Heinrich Heusenbrink is weak and she still has no experience, perhaps the time has come for her to become both father and daughter. Whether with the help of nature or with the support of compliant and armed servants, I don't care.
From a letter attributed to Reichart Luiwinger, the elder of the Rigafahrer brotherhood of Lübeck; unsigned and undated; probably written in early to mid 1450.
The still young and inexperienced Barbara Heusenbrink unexpectedly represented the Heusenbrink trading house on behalf of her father, who was unavailable in Riga and of whom I know through informants that his health was not in the best of health. The Grand Master, however, issued a double warning. He said that it was not yet completely certain whether the previous privileges of the House of Heusenbrink in the amber trade could be guaranteed to the same extent as before, even if he himself was committed to this and confident. And secondly, he advised against taking the overland route to Riga. Although they were under the safe protection of the Order as far as Königsberg, they could only advise against taking the further and currently only overland
