WESTPHALIA, TREATY Or, also known as the treaty of Munster, was concluded at Munster and Osnabruck (towns in the circle of Westphalia) in 1648, and in putting an end to the thirty years' war (q.v.), restored tranquillity to Germany, established a new system of political equilibrium in Europe, and became the basis of all subsequent treat ies down, till the French revolution. The minor states of Germany had long desired a cessation of hostilities; and as early as 1638 plenipotentiaries from France, Sweden, and the empire had assembled at Hamburg; but it was not till several years after, that all parties agreed to Munster and Osnabruck as the places and to Mar. 26, 1642, as the time of meeting of the congresses. Ferdinand, however, was very loath to commit himself to a definite negotiation till the success of his arms, the hope of succor from Spain, or a change in the French policy, should give him less the position of a beaten opponentto accept almost any terms; and he accordingly temporized from time to time till his hopes of succor had vanished. In 1644, the congresses opened, the two places of meeting having been chosen to avoid auy rivalry between France and Sweden for supremacy, to prevent any collision between the Swedish representatives and the pope, and to separate the Catholics from the Protestants. The representatives of France, the empire, Spain, and the Catholics of Germany, met at 3U:ulster under the media tion of the pope and those of Sweden, the empire, and the Protestants of Germany,under the mediation of the king of Denmark; the representatives of Spain, Portugal,the United Provinces, Savoy, Tuscany,Lorraine, "Mantua, and Switzerland being also present; so that this congress included all the great European powers except Britain, and almost all the minor powers. As the conflict was still carried on with undiminished vigor, the inch natican of fortune to one side was the signal for excessive demands, which were met on the other side by evasive proposals; and it was not till Torstensolm's decisive campaign of 1014-45 that negotiations commenced in earnest, and the representatives made spe citie propositions. The successes of Turenue and Wrangel, in southern Germany, and , the capture of Prague by the Swedes under KiinigsmarCin July, 1648, at length over came all the emperor's dilatoriness, and, the Osnabruck representatives having arrived at 31t1nster a few days before, the treaty was finally signed at Munster, Oct. 24, 1648. Its terms, as regards the Germanic empire, were as follows; The sovereignty and inde pendence of the different states of the empire were fully recognized, and liberty was given them to contract any alliances with each other, or with foreign powers, if these i were not against the emperor or the empire; all religious persecution in Germany was forbidden; the treaty of Passau and the religious peace of 1555 were confirmed; and with respect to the secularization of ecclesiastical benefices, everything was to remain in Austria as it was iu 1624 (hence called the normal year), and in the Palatinate, Baden and WUrtemberg as•it was in 1618; the power of putting under the ban of the empire was only to be exercised with consent of the diet; and the Reformed were put on a footing of equality as to privileges with the Lutherans. The territorial changes were as
follows: The Lower Palatinate was restored to the eldest son of the unfortunate " Win ter king" (Frederick V., elector palatine), and an eighth electorate was created in his favor, but the Upper Palatinate and Cham were given to Bavaria, on condition thht, should the two states become united, one electorate was to be abolished (as happened in 1777, see BayAnts.); part of Alsace was ceded to France; Upper Pomerania, Rugen with Stettin, Gertz, Damme, Golnau, the isle of Wallin, Peine, Schweine, and Divenau in Lower Pomerania, Wismar, the secularized archbishopric of Bremen as a duchy, and the bishopric of Verdun as a principality, were obtained by Sweden as fiefs of the empire, with three deliberative voices in the diet, and an indemnification of 5,000,000 crowns to be paid by the empire; Brandenburg obtained, as compensation for its cessions in Pomerania, the secularized archbishopric of Magdeburg as a duchy, and the bishop rics of Halberstadt, Minden, and Camin ; Hanover and Meehlenburg were compensated for their share in these cessions by secularized church lands; and Hesse-Cassel obtained the rich abbacy of Hirschfeld, with 600,000 thalers. The independence of the United Provinces was recognized by Spain, and that of Switzerland by the empire. The pope's agent, Fabio Chigi (afterward pope AlexanderVH.), protested vigorously against the liberal alienation of the possessions of the church, and withdrew; and the king of Den mark's mediation being stopped by his war with Sweden in 1644, the treaty was con cluded under the sole mediation of the republic of Venice, and France and Sweden became guaranties for its execution. France, Sweden, and the Protestants were the only gainers by this treaty, which, by weakening the great central authority of the empire, destroyed its unity, allowed France, as one of the guaranties, a pretext for continual interference with its internal affairs, and gave the coup de grace to the independence of the remaining free cities of the empire.