Which 1648 treaty is commonly linked to the rise of the modern state system?

The Peace of Westphalia is the group of treaties signed in 1648 that is commonly linked to the rise of the modern state system.

The agreements ended the Thirty Years’ War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years’ War between Spain and the Dutch Republic. The main negotiations took place in the Westphalian cities of Münster and Osnabrück. The settlements recognized the independence of the Dutch Republic and Switzerland and adjusted the religious and political arrangements of the empire.

Political writers later associated Westphalia with principles such as state sovereignty, territorial authority, and non-interference. These ideas are often presented as foundations of the modern international system, in which governments exercise authority within recognized borders.

Historians caution that the “Westphalian system” is partly a later interpretation. The treaties did not create nation-states in the modern sense, and the Holy Roman Empire continued to exist. They also did not establish a single universal rule of non-intervention. Even so, Westphalia remains a crucial reference point in discussions of diplomacy and international relations.