Complex sentence: Merchant shipping also includes water transport over the river and canal systems connecting inland destinations, large and small, while in the early modern era, cities in the Hanseatic League began taming Northern Europe's rivers and harbors.
Split into simpler sentences: Merchant shipping also includes water transport over the river and canal systems connecting inland destinations, large and small. For example, during the early modern era, cities in the Hanseatic League began taming Northern Europe's rivers and harbors.