Peace of Westphalia

The treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, concluded in 1648, ended the Thirty Years’ War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years’ War between Spain and the Dutch Republic.

Thirty Years’ War: A series of European conflicts from 1618 to 1648, centered on the Holy Roman Empire and involving major continental powers. Its German theaters and political divisions drove the negotiations at Münster and Osnabrück.
Congress of Westphalia: The diplomatic congress held from 1643 to 1649 at Münster and Osnabrück to negotiate peace among European powers. It was the negotiating process that produced the Westphalian treaties.
Dutch Republic: A federation of northern Netherlandish provinces that existed from the late sixteenth century until 1795. The Münster treaty recognized the republic’s independence from Spain.
Westphalian sovereignty: A modern principle that states possess territorial authority and should not intervene in one another’s domestic affairs. This idea is commonly attributed to the treaties, though historians dispute that interpretation.
Fabian von Dohna: A Brandenburg diplomat who represented the elector at the Congress of Westphalia. His mission pursued Brandenburg’s territorial and dynastic interests in the settlement.
Eighty Years’ War: The Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, fought from 1568 to 1648 and ending with Dutch independence. The Münster treaty settled Spain’s long conflict with the Dutch Republic.
Treaty of Münster (1648): A treaty signed in Münster in 1648 that ended the Dutch Republic’s war with Spain and settled several imperial disputes. It recognized Dutch independence and formed one half of the settlement.
Swiss Confederacy: A loose alliance of self-governing Swiss cantons that developed into an independent political entity. The treaties recognized the Confederacy’s exemption from the Holy Roman Empire’s jurisdiction.
Sovereignty: The authority to govern a political community and make decisions without a superior power. The treaties concerned imperial authority and territorial rights, not a uniform modern doctrine of sovereignty.
Maximilian von und zu Trauttmansdorff: An Austrian statesman and diplomat who served Emperor Ferdinand III during the Thirty Years’ War. He helped direct the emperor’s negotiating strategy at Westphalia.

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