24 October - Treaty of Westphalia signed

 

On October 24, 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia was signed, marking the end of the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic. This peace agreement is often seen as a foundational moment in modern European history, as it established principles of state sovereignty and laid the groundwork for the nation-state system. The treaties were signed in the Westphalian cities of Münster and Osnabrück, with multiple European powers involved in negotiations, including France, Sweden, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire.

The treaty’s terms redrew national boundaries and introduced religious freedom for different Christian denominations within certain regions, reducing the power of the Catholic Habsburgs in the Holy Roman Empire. Westphalia’s emphasis on the sovereignty of each state to govern its internal affairs without external interference was a pivotal step toward establishing modern diplomacy. This landmark event is often cited as the starting point for international law and the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign states.