Peace of Westphalia

About the Peace of Westphalia

The treaties of Osnabrück and Münster ended the Thirty Years War and the Eighty Years War between Spain and the Dutch. It established the principle of state sovereignty and non-interference, the foundation of the modern international system, the Westphalian order. The Holy Roman Empire lost over a third of its population during the war. Religious freedom for Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists was guaranteed. The Dutch Republic and Swiss Confederation gained full independence.