Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years' War
- Date
- October 1648
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Holy Roman Empire (Westphalia: Münster and Osnabrück)
- Era
- Early Modern
- Significance
The Peace of Westphalia, a series of treaties concluded between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Munster and Osnabruck, ended the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic.
The settlement confirmed the religious balance of the empire, extending recognition to Calvinism alongside Catholicism and Lutheranism and granting rulers and subjects broad guarantees over confession, thereby largely defusing religion as a cause of inter-state war in central Europe. It recognised the de jure independence of the Dutch Republic and the Swiss Confederation, affirmed the practical autonomy of the empire's hundreds of princely states, and weakened the universalist claims of emperor and pope. The treaties are traditionally credited with founding the modern European order of sovereign territorial states negotiating as legal equals, the so-called Westphalian system, though scholars debate how far the principle of sovereignty was actually articulated in 1648. Whatever the precise legal content, the settlement marked an exhausted continent's turn from confessional crusade toward a secularising politics of balance and diplomacy, and it shaped the framework of international relations for generations.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in October 1648
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
- Ottoman Empire1299 CE – 1922 CE
- Mughal Empire1526 CE – 1857 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Qing Dynasty1636 CE – 1912 CE
Related politics & governance events
- Execution of Charles I30 January 1649
- The Declaration of Independence4 July 1776
- Aurangzeb, the Mughal apogee and the seeds of decline1679 (jizya reimposed); reign 1658–1707
- Sakoku: Japan's seclusion edicts close the country1633–1639 (sakoku edicts)
- The United States Constitution drafted and ratified17 September 1787
- The storming of the Bastille and the outbreak of the French Revolution14 July 1789
Further reading
The wider story
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
Fast-paced narrative of Portugal's seaborne empire.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.