Lübeck around 1500 (1493) Beginning in the 14th century, Lübeck was a major hub of seaborne trade in northern Europe and the capital of the Hanseatic League. A failed intervention in the Northern War of 1533-34 marked the beginning of its decline. Woodcut by Michael Wohlgemut, Liber Chronicarum, 1493, pp. 265b-266a.