In the Middle Ages, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League.

In 1534, an apocalyptic Anabaptist sect, led by John of Leiden, took power in the Münster rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state.
They claimed all property, burned all books except the Bible, and called it the "New Jerusalem".
John of Leiden believed he would lead the elect from Münster to capture the entire world and purify it of evil with the sword in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium.
They went so far as to require all citizens to be naked as preparation for the Second Coming.
However, the town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death and their corpses were exhibited in metal baskets, which can still be seen hanging from the tower of St. Lambert's Church.

Part of the signing of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 was held in Münster.
This ended the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War.
It also guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
In the Middle Ages, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League.
In 1534, an apocalyptic Anabaptist sect, led by John of Leiden, took power in the Münster rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state. They claimed all property, burned all books except the Bible, and called it the "New Jerusalem". John of Leiden believed he would lead the elect from Münster to capture the entire world and purify it of evil with the sword in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium. They went so far as to require all citizens to be naked as preparation for the Second Coming. However, the town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death and their corpses were exhibited in metal baskets, which can still be seen hanging from the tower of St. Lambert's Church.
Part of the signing of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 was held in Münster. This ended the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War. It also guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
Münster