Peace of Westphalia: Thirty Years' War Ends
The Peace of Westphalia, signed on October 24, 1648, ended both the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War through two separate treaties negotiated simultaneously in the Westphalian cities of Munster and Osnabruck. The Thirty Years' War had killed an estimated 8 million people, roughly a third of the population of the German states. The treaties established the principle that each state had sovereignty over its territory and could choose its own religion without external interference. This framework became the foundation of the modern international system. The concept of 'Westphalian sovereignty' still defines how nations interact: no state has the right to intervene in another state's internal affairs. The Holy Roman Empire survived in name but lost all meaningful power. France and Sweden emerged as the dominant European powers.
October 24, 1648
378 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 24
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