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The treaties did not restore the peace throughout Europe, however; France and Spain remained at war for the next eleven years. But the peace of Westphalia at least created a basis for national self-determination.
The treaties did not restore the peace throughout Europe, however; France and Spain remained at war for the next eleven years. But the peace of Westphalia at least created a basis for national self-determination.


Who- People
==Locations==
What- A treaty that did something
Peace negotiations between France and the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], provided by the Holy Roman Emperor and the Spanish King, were to be started in [[Cologne]] in 1636. These negotiations were blocked by France.
When- a date

Why-people felt like it
[[Cardinal Richelieu]] of France desired the inclusion of all its allies, whether sovereign or a state within the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In [[Hamburg]] and [[Lübeck]], Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire negotiated the [[Treaty of Hamburg (1638)|Treaty of Hamburg]]. This was done with the intervention of Richelieu.
[[File:Medal celebrating the Peace of Westphalia.jpg|thumb|left|Contemporary medal celebrating the Peace of Westphalia]]

The Holy Roman Empire and Sweden declared the preparations of Cologne and the Treaty of Hamburg to be preliminaries of an overall peace agreement. This larger agreement was to be negotiated in [[Westphalia]], in the neighbouring cities of [[Münster]] and [[Osnabrück]]. Both cities were to be maintained as neutral and demilitarized zones for the negotiations. Münster was, since its re-Catholization in 1535, a strictly mono-denominational community. It housed the Chapter of the [[Bishopric of Münster|Prince-Bishopric of Münster]]. Only [[Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] worship was permitted. No places of worship were provided for [[Calvinism|Calvinists]] and [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]].

Osnabrück was a bidenominational Lutheran and Catholic city, with two Lutheran and two Catholic churches for its mostly Lutheran [[Bourgeoisie|burghers]] and exclusively Lutheran city council and the Catholic Chapter of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück]] with pertaining other clergy and also other Catholic inhabitants. In the years of 1628-1633 Osnabrück had been subjugated by troops of the [[Catholic League (German)|Catholic League]]. The Catholic Prince-Bishop [[Franz Wilhelm von Wartenberg|Franz Wilhelm, Count of Wartenberg]] then imposed the [[Counter-Reformation]] onto the city with many Lutheran burgher families being exiled. While under Swedish occupation Osnabrücks's Catholics were not expelled, but the city severely suffered from Swedish war contributions. Therefore Osnabrück hoped for a great relief becoming neutralised and demilitarised.

Both cities strove for more autonomy, aspiring to become [[Free Imperial City|Free Imperial Cities]], so they welcomed the neutrality imposed by the peace negotiations, and the prohibition of all political influence by the warring parties including their overlords, the prince-bishops.

Since Lutheran Sweden preferred Osnabrück as a conference venue, its peace negotiations with the Empire, including the allies of both sides, took place in Osnabrück. The Empire and its opponent France, including the allies of each, as well as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and its opponent Spain (and their respective allies) negotiated in Münster.<ref>Konrad Repgen, 'Negotiating the Peace of Westphalia: A Survey with an Examination of the Major Problems', In: ''1648: War and Peace in Europe'': 3 vols. (Catalogue of the 26th exhibition of the Council of Europe, on the Peace of Westphalia), Klaus Bußmann and Heinz Schilling (eds.) on behalf of the Veranstaltungsgesellschaft 350 Jahre Westfälischer Friede, Münster and Osnabrück: no publ., 1998, 'Essay Volume 1: Politics, Religion, Law and Society', pp. 355-372, here pp. 355seq.</ref>


==Delegations==
==Delegations==

Revision as of 20:57, 21 February 2013

Peace of Westphalia
Treaties of Osnabrück and Münster
Ratification of the Peace of Münster (Gerard ter Borch, Münster, 1648)
TypePeace treaty
Drafted1646-1648
Signed15 May - 24 October 1648
LocationOsnabrück and Münster, Westphalia, modern-day Germany
Parties109

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the independence of the Dutch Republic.

The Peace of Westphalia treaties involved the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III, of the House of Habsburg, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of France, the Swedish Empire, the Dutch Republic, the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, and sovereigns of the free imperial cities and can be denoted by two major events.

  • The signing of the Peace of Münster[1] between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Spain on 30 January 1648, officially ratified in Münster on 15 May 1648.
  • The signing of two complementary treaties on 24 October 1648, namely:
    • The Treaty of Münster (Instrumentum Pacis Monasteriensis, IPM),[2] concerning the Holy Roman Emperor and France and their respective allies.
    • The Treaty of Osnabrück (Instrumentum Pacis Osnabrugensis, IPO),[3] concerning the Holy Roman Emperor, the Empire and Sweden and their respective allies.

The treaties resulted from the big diplomatic congress,[4][5] thereby initiating a new system of political order in central Europe, later called Westphalian sovereignty, based upon the concept of a sovereign state governed by a sovereign and establishing a prejudice in international affairs against interference in another nation's domestic business. The treaty not only signaled the end of the perennial, destructive wars that had ravaged Europe, it also represented the triumph of sovereignty over empire, of national rule over the personal writ of the Habsburgs[clarification needed]. The treaties’ regulations became integral to the constitutional law of the Holy Roman Empire, and stood as a precursor to later large international treaties and thereby the development of international law in general.

The treaties did not restore the peace throughout Europe, however; France and Spain remained at war for the next eleven years. But the peace of Westphalia at least created a basis for national self-determination.

Who- People What- A treaty that did something When- a date Why-people felt like it

Delegations

The peace negotiations had no exact beginning and ending, because the participating total of 109 delegations never met in a plenary session, but dropped in between 1643 and 1646 and left between 1647 and 1649. Between January 1646 and July 1647 probably the largest number of diplomats were present. Delegations had been sent by 16 European states, sixty-six Imperial States, representing the interests of a total of 140 involved Imperial States, and 27 interest groups, representing the interests of a variety of a total of 38 groups.[6]

Results

Internal political boundaries

A simplified map of Europe after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
Historical map
Holy Roman Empire in 1648.

The power taken by Ferdinand III in contravention of the Holy Roman Empire's constitution was stripped and returned to the rulers of the Imperial States. This rectification allowed the rulers of the Imperial States to independently decide their religious worship. Protestants and Catholics were redefined as equal before the law, and Calvinism was given legal recognition.[8][9]

The Holy See was very displeased at the settlement, with Pope Innocent X in Zelo Domus Dei reportedly calling it "null, void, invalid, iniquitous, unjust, damnable, reprobate, inane, empty of meaning and effect for all time".[10]

Tenets

The main tenets of the Peace of Westphalia were:

  • All parties would recognize the Peace of Augsburg of 1555, in which each prince would have the right to determine the religion of his own state, the options being Catholicism, Lutheranism, and now Calvinism (the principle of cuius regio, eius religio).[8][9]
  • Christians living in principalities where their denomination was not the established church were guaranteed the right to practice their faith in public during allotted hours and in private at their will.[8]
  • General recognition of the exclusive sovereignty of each party over its lands, people, and agents abroad, and each and several responsibility for the warlike acts of any of its citizens or agents. Issuance of unrestricted letters of marque and reprisal to privateers was forbidden.

There were also territorial adjustments:

[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Original text in Dutch National Archives". beeldbank.nationaalarchief.nl.
  2. ^ "Digital German text Treaty of Münster". lwl.org.
  3. ^ "Digital German text Treaty of Osnabrück". lwl.org.
  4. ^ "Principles of the State System". Faculty.unlv.edu. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Information from city of Münster". Muenster.de. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  6. ^ Konrad Repgen, 'Negotiating the Peace of Westphalia: A Survey with an Examination of the Major Problems', In: 1648: War and Peace in Europe: 3 vols. (Catalogue of the 26th exhibition of the Council of Europe, on the Peace of Westphalia), Klaus Bußmann and Heinz Schilling (eds.) on behalf of the Veranstaltungsgesellschaft 350 Jahre Westfälischer Friede, Münster and Osnabrück: no publ., 1998, 'Essay Volume 1: Politics, Religion, Law and Society', pp. 355-372, here p. 356.
  7. ^ Sonnino, Paul. Mazarin's quest: the Congress of Westphalia and the coming of the Fronde.
  8. ^ a b c Treaty of Münster 1648 Cite error: The named reference "IPM" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Barro, R. J. and McCleary, R. M. "Which Countries have State Religions?" (PDF). University of Chicago. p. 5. Retrieved 7 November 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Larry Jay Diamond, Marc F. Plattner, Philip J. Costopoulo (2005). World religions and democracy.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Böhme, Klaus-R (2001). "Die sicherheitspolitische Lage Schwedens nach dem Westfälischen Frieden". In Hacker, Hans-Joachim (ed.). Der Westfälische Frieden von 1648: Wende in der Geschichte des Ostseeraums (in German). Kovač. p. 35. ISBN 3-8300-0500-8.
  12. ^ Böhme, Klaus-R (2001). "Die sicherheitspolitische Lage Schwedens nach dem Westfälischen Frieden". In Hacker, Hans-Joachim (ed.). Der Westfälische Frieden von 1648: Wende in der Geschichte des Ostseeraums (in German). Kovač. p. 36. ISBN 3-8300-0500-8.
  13. ^ Böhme, Klaus-R (2001). "Die sicherheitspolitische Lage Schwedens nach dem Westfälischen Frieden". In Hacker, Hans-Joachim (ed.). Der Westfälische Frieden von 1648: Wende in der Geschichte des Ostseeraums (in German). Kovač. p. 37. ISBN 3-8300-0500-8.
  14. ^ a b c Böhme, Klaus-R (2001). "Die sicherheitspolitische Lage Schwedens nach dem Westfälischen Frieden". In Hacker, Hans-Joachim (ed.). Der Westfälische Frieden von 1648: Wende in der Geschichte des Ostseeraums (in German). Kovač. p. 38. ISBN 3-8300-0500-8.
  15. ^ Gross, Leo (1948). "The Peace of Westphalia, 1648-1948". American Journal of International Law. 42 (1): 20–41 [p. 25]. doi:10.2307/2193560.

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