1648 The Treaty of Westphalia
The treaty (or rather treaties) of Westphalia brought a merciful finish to the worst conflicts in European history prior to the 20th-century, ending the Thirty Years War and the Eighty Years War. Historians often credit these agreements as the basis of the system of modern nation states. Significant aspects of the treaties include:
• A religious settlement which determined that the national religion of the signatory countries should be that of the ruler in place in 1624. Those not of that religion (Catholic, Lutheran, or Calvinist) were allowed to practise their own faiths in private.
• The independence of the Netherlands from Spain was recognized.
• The independence of Switzerland from the Holy Roman Empire was recognized.
• Territorial adjustments gave fortresses to France, Baltic territories to Sweden, and expanded Prussia.
Fry and Laurie explain the diplomatic difficulties: