Peace of Westphalia

I'd never heard of this 'Peace of Westphalia' up until a few days ago, but don't let the squad of sombre looking old men in the picture above fool you, it's actually fairly interesting. And important too.

The 24th of October 1648 saw the signing of  the Peace of Westphalia in Osnabrück and Münster, which officially ended the 30 year war in the Holy Roman Empire, and the 80 year war between Spain and the Dutch. 

The Treaty of Westphalia begins as follows:
"In the name of the most holy and individual Trinity: Be it known to all, and every one whom it may concern, or to whom in any manner it may belong, That for many Years past, Discords and Civil Divisions being stir'd up in the Roman Empire, which increas'd to such a degree, that not only all Germany, but also the neighbouring Kingdoms, and France particularly, have been involv'd in the Disorders of a long and cruel War"

In English this is basically stating how the 30 year war (1618-1648) was one of a huge scale with a devastating impact. Certainly, it involved most of the countries in Europe and was primarily fought on German soil- it was triggered by the Austrian Habsburgs who attempted to implement Roman Catholicism on their Protestant subjects in Bohemia. But it wasn't just a case of Catholics V. Protestants, there was fighting across various groups. The Holy Roman Empire was pitted against France, the Princes and Princelings of Germany were fighting both each other and the Emperor, and France fought the Habsburgs of Spain. 

The devastation of Germany was so great that estimates range from a 25-40% reduction of the German states population, in fact there are even some reports of cannibalism due to the starving population that survived. There's even a poem written after the war about it's impact- which just goes to show how "wars don't end when the last bullet is fired or the last bomb is dropped" as Jeremy Corbyn said in his speech on Saturday (disclaimer: naturally, this blog is completely 100% unbiased and if a Tory ever says something enlightening I'll be sure to include it). 

It took four years of negotiations in Westphalia to settle the terms of the treaty, and when the signing ceremony finally took place in 1648 it granted Swiss Independence from Austria and the Netherlands independence from Spain. Most importantly perhaps, it established the legal status of the nation-state as sovereign. Not only did this mean all states were legally equal, but also that nation-states enjoyed complete independent control over what happened within their own borders and what crossed their borders (however, since then globalization has seen a rise of cross-border migration and communication which could mean the state has become weaker). 

The Treaty of Westphalia was one of several key events that saw the rise of the European nation-state. It was to be followed by the French revolution in 1789 which saw the transfer of power from the monarch to a body of citizens, setting an example for modern democratic systems that would later be established across the world.