"The turbulence of the Protestant Reformation marks a turning point in European history, but the Scandinavian contribution to this revolution is not well known outside the Northern world. Reforming the North focuses on twenty-five years (1520-1545 A.D.) of this history, during which Scandinavians terminated the medieval Union of Kalmar, toppled the Catholic Church, ended the commerical dominance of the German Hanse, and laid the foundations for centralized states on the ruins of old instiutions and organizations."--[P.] 2, cover.