The Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of 1648 treaties ending decades of European religious warfare, establishing foundational principles of modern national sovereignty still influential today.
Ending three decades of devastating religious warfare across Central Europe, these treaties established a principle of state sovereignty so influential that it continues underpinning the entire modern international political system.
Ending Decades of Religious War
The treaties concluded the Thirty Years' War, a devastating conflict fought substantially along religious lines that had killed a significant portion of the Central European population.
Establishing State Sovereignty
The peace established a foundational principle of state sovereignty, recognizing each state's authority over its own internal religious and political affairs without external interference.
The Foundation of the Modern State System
The Peace of Westphalia's core principles are widely regarded as foundational to the modern international system of sovereign nation-states that continues structuring global politics today.
A Lasting Diplomatic Legacy
The term "Westphalian sovereignty" remains commonly used in international relations to describe the fundamental principle of state authority over domestic affairs.
