# Canonical recap data for Peace of Westphalia Signed (1648)
# Source: https://recap.at/1648/peace-of-westphalia
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: peace-of-westphalia
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1648/peace-of-westphalia"
title: Peace of Westphalia Signed
aliases:
- Treaty of Osnabrück
- Treaty of Münster
- Peace of Münster
- Westphalian Peace
subtitle: This treaty ended the Thirty Years' War, established the nation-state system as Europe's governing principle, and secularized international relations.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1648-10-24
datePrecision: day
year: 1648
decade: 1640
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: The Peace of Westphalia is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire, closing a calamitous period of European history that killed approximately eight millio
summaryLong: The Peace of Westphalia is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire, closing a calamitous period of European history that killed approximately eight million people. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, the kingdoms of France and Sweden, and their respective allies among the princes of the Holy Roman Empire, participated in the treaties.
lede: Two peace treaties signed in Osnabrück and Münster in October 1648 ended the Thirty Years' War, a brutal conflict that had devastated Central Europe since 1618. The agreements created the modern system of sovereign nation-states and established principles of international law that still govern relations between countries today.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/M%C3%BCnster%2C_Historisches_Rathaus_--_2014_--_6855.jpg/1280px-M%C3%BCnster%2C_Historisches_Rathaus_--_2014_--_6855.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Peace of Westphalia"
importance: 91
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Death toll
  value: Approximately 8 million people
- label: War duration
  value: 30 years (1618–1648)
- label: Treaty locations
  value: Osnabrück and Münster, Westphalia
- label: Signing date
  value: October 1648
- label: Holy Roman Empire territories
  value: Reduced from ~300 to ~234 quasi-sovereign entities
- label: Key signatories
  value: France, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, various German princes
- label: Negotiation duration
  value: 4 years (1644–1648)
timeline:
- date: 1618-05-23
  title: Thirty Years' War begins
  description: Defenestration of Prague triggers the Bohemian Revolt, sparking a conflict that will consume Central Europe for three decades.
- date: 1635-05-19
  title: France enters the war
  description: Cardinal Richelieu commits French forces, transforming a religious conflict into a great-power struggle for continental dominance.
- date: 1644-06-01
  title: Peace negotiations begin
  description: Diplomats convene in Osnabrück and Münster to broker an end to hostilities; Swedish and French delegations lead talks.
- date: 1645-08-17
  title: Battle of Jankau
  description: Swedish forces defeat Imperial troops near Prague; military momentum shifts decisively toward negotiated settlement.
- date: 1648-10-24
  title: Treaty of Münster signed
  description: Spain and the Dutch Republic formally end their conflict; Spain recognizes Dutch independence after 80 years of rebellion.
- date: 1648-10-24
  title: Peace of Westphalia complete
  description: Simultaneous signing of the Treaty of Osnabrück (between France, Sweden, and German princes) concludes negotiations.
- date: 1648-11-06
  title: Official proclamation
  description: The Treaties of Osnabrück and Münster are jointly proclaimed as the Peace of Westphalia.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia"
  title: Peace of Westphalia
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Westphalia rewrote the rules of European politics by establishing sovereign statehood as the organizing principle of international order. The treaties killed the notion of universal Catholic empire, fragmented the Holy Roman Empire into semi-autonomous territories, and introduced the legal concept that nation-states answer to no higher authority—a foundation for modern international relations.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- peace_accord
- treaty_signing
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- governance
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: systemic
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: Two 1648 treaties ending the Thirty Years' War. Created modern sovereign statehood and international law.
wikidataQid: Q150995
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien
  publisherSlug: relation-aller-fuernemmen
  headline: Friede zu Osnabrück und Münster proclamiert - Das Heilige Römische Reich erhält Ruhe nach 30 Jahren Krieg
  publishedAt: 1648-10-28
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival reference only
  excerpt: "DE: 'Friede zu Osnabrück und Münster proclamiert' / EN: 'Peace proclaimed in Osnabrück and Münster' - The twin treaties signed this month bring an end to three decades of ruinous conflict across German lands, with envoys from all major European powers witnessing the settlement."
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: Holy Roman Empire
- publisher: Mercure Galant
  publisherSlug: mercure-galant
  headline: "La Paix de Westphalie: Triumph de la Diplomatie Française"
  publishedAt: 1648-11-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival reference only
  excerpt: "FR: 'La Paix de Westphalie: Triumph de la Diplomatie Française' / EN: 'The Peace of Westphalia: Triumph of French Diplomacy' - France emerges strengthened from negotiations, securing Alsace and other territorial gains while Cardinal Mazarin's statecraft reshapes the continental balance."
  significance: 88
  type: magazine
  region: France
- publisher: The Moderate Intelligencer
  publisherSlug: moderate-intelligencer
  headline: German Wars End - Empire Finds Peace After Thirty Years of Bloodshed
  publishedAt: 1648-10-31
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival reference only
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The cessation of hostilities in the Westphalian territories brings relief to merchant houses across the Low Countries and England, with trade routes through German lands expected to reopen within months.
  significance: 81
  type: newspaper
  region: England
- publisher: Avisa Relation oder Zeitung
  publisherSlug: avisa-relation-oder-zeitung
  headline: Westfälischer Friede unterzeichnet - Segen für das verwüstete Reich
  publishedAt: 1648-11-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival reference only
  excerpt: "DE: 'Westfälischer Friede unterzeichnet - Segen für das verwüstete Reich' / EN: 'Westphalian Peace signed - Blessing for the ravaged Empire' - Reconstruction of plague-stricken and war-torn territories may now commence, with Swedish and French guarantors pledging enforcement of the settlement's terms."
  significance: 89
  type: newspaper
  region: Holy Roman Empire
- publisher: Gazzetta di Mantova
  publisherSlug: gazzetta-di-mantova
  headline: "Il Trattato di Westfalia: Nuovo Ordine in Europa"
  publishedAt: 1648-11-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival reference only
  excerpt: "IT: 'Il Trattato di Westfalia: Nuovo Ordine in Europa' / EN: 'The Treaty of Westphalia: New Order in Europe' - Italian princes observe that the settlements redraw the map of the German-speaking lands and establish novel principles of religious toleration and sovereign equality."
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: Italy
