. ▁ ▁Wald ens ians ▁are ▁considered ▁a ▁for er un ner ▁to ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁Re formation , ▁and ▁they ▁m elt ed ▁into ▁Protest ant ism ▁with ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁the ▁Re formation ▁and ▁became ▁a ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁wider ▁Re formed ▁tradition ▁after ▁the ▁views ▁of ▁John ▁Cal vin ▁and ▁his ▁the ological ▁success ors ▁in ▁Gene va ▁proved ▁very ▁similar ▁to ▁their ▁own ▁the ological ▁thought . ▁Wald ens ian ▁churches ▁still ▁exist , ▁located ▁on ▁several ▁contin ents . ▁ ▁Trade ▁and ▁commerce ▁In ▁Northern ▁Europe , ▁the ▁Han se atic ▁League , ▁a ▁feder ation ▁of ▁free ▁cities ▁to ▁advance ▁trade ▁by ▁sea , ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 2 th ▁century , ▁with ▁the ▁foundation ▁of ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Lü beck , ▁which ▁would ▁later ▁domin ate ▁the ▁League , ▁in ▁ 1 1 5 8 – 1 1 5 9 . ▁Many ▁northern ▁cities ▁of ▁the ▁Holy ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁became ▁han se atic ▁cities , ▁including ▁Amsterdam , ▁C ologne , ▁Bre men , ▁Han over ▁and ▁Berlin . ▁Han se atic ▁cities ▁outside ▁the ▁Holy ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁were , ▁for ▁instance , ▁Bru ges ▁and ▁the ▁Polish ▁city ▁of ▁G da ń sk ▁( D anz ig ), ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁König s berg , ▁capital ▁of ▁the ▁mon astic ▁state ▁of ▁the ▁Te ut onic ▁Kn ights . ▁ ▁In ▁Ber gen , ▁Norway ▁and ▁Vel ik y ▁Nov gor od , ▁Russia ▁the ▁league ▁had ▁fact ories ▁and ▁middle men