Which two treaties make up the Peace of Westphalia?
Answer
Treaty of Münster and Treaty of Osnabrück
The Peace of Westphalia consisted of the Treaty of Münster and the Treaty of Osnabrück. Signed on 24 October 1648, these agreements brought the Thirty Years’ War to an end within the Holy Roman Empire.
The negotiations took place in two cities because Catholic France preferred Münster, while Protestant Sweden negotiated in Osnabrück. The Treaty of Münster primarily addressed the settlement between the Emperor and France; the Treaty of Osnabrück dealt mainly with Sweden and the Empire. Together, they adjusted territory, compensation, religious rights, and the constitutional balance between the emperor and imperial princes.
The settlement reaffirmed the legal standing of Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism in the Empire and strengthened the authority of individual princes. It also recognized the effective independence of the Dutch Republic and Swiss Confederacy, though the Dutch-Spanish peace was negotiated separately. A common mistake is treating the Peace of Westphalia as one single document, rather than the collective name for several linked agreements.