Wesel

Wesel lies near the meeting of the Lippe and the Rhine, a position that made it a trading town and a valuable stronghold. It joined the Hanseatic League in 1407, and its merchants prospered within the Duchy of Cleves. The town embraced the Reformation in 1540 and became a refuge for people fleeing religious persecution in the Low Countries; a French-speaking Walloon congregation was recorded here in 1545.

In 1609 Wesel passed by inheritance with Cleves to the rulers of Brandenburg, though they did not gain control of the town until the peace of Nijmegen in 1678. Its position on the two rivers made it important to the defence of their western lands, and Wesel developed into a fortified military centre as well as a commercial town.