Treaty of Westphalia: End of the Thirty Years War

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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The consequence of the thirty years of warfare was the ruination of Germany and major shifts in the balance of power in Europe. France gained Alsace-Lorraine and emerged very much the major power in western Europe, at the expense of Spain, which was also forced to recognise the United Provinces of the Netherlands as an independent state. Sweden gained control of the Baltic. Individual states within the Holy Roman Empire achieved full sovereignty, weakening the power of the Catholic church and the Pope. The terms of the Peace of Westphalia were as follows: (1) Sweden obtained Hither Pomerania, part of Farther Pomerania, Wismar, and gained access to mouths of Rivers Elbe, Weser and Oder as well as an indemnity of six million rix dollars, and the bishoprics of Bremen and Verden; (2) Franceā€¦

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Treaty of Westphalia: End of the Thirty Years War". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4169, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4169 Treaty of Westphalia: End of the Thirty Years War 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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