Exercise: Peace of Westphalia (1648)

How did the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), alter the shape of politics in Europe? How, specifically, did it affect the relationship between religious and secular authority, as well as relations among the Christian religions of Europe (Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, Catholic)?

Study the text of the Peace of Westphalia (1648), especially clauses 5 and 7. Ask yourself: did the Peace of Westphalia establish religious toleration in Europe? In a paragraph or two, write out your response to this question, in the affirmative or the negative. As you would in for any debate team, base your argument on the concrete evidence before you....the text of the treaty itself. What clauses would seem to indicate an answer in the affirmative? Alternately, what clauses from the text suggest a negative answer?

Image right: Peace Treaty between Spain and the Netherlands (30 January 1648). Manuscript with the signatures and seals of the delegates, 61 x 32 cm. The Hague, Algemeen Rijksarchief, 12588.55.


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