The Westphalian world and its meaning

More than three hundred and sixty years ago in the whole of Europe, tired of the long, bloody confrontation between the countries, an event occurred that not only extinguished the last sparks of war, but also determined in many ways the future of the European continent. It's about the Westphalian world. The agreement was named so, since it was concluded in two German cities - Osnabrück and Munster - in 1648. Both belonged to the Westphalian region. The format of such a multilateral treaty was discussed seven years ago, in 1641, in the city of Hamburg. Starting from this year, negotiations were held, during which the war did not stop. It ended only when the Westphalian world was accepted by all parties. Negotiations were conducted between the imperial ambassadors and the French ambassadors in Munster, and Swedish ambassadors and imperial ranks in the city of Osnabrück.

The Westphalian world became the end of the Thirty Years' War, which is remarkable for the fact that for the first time almost all European countries, including Russia, participated in it. The exception was Switzerland. It began as a confrontation between representatives of the two main European religions at that time - Rome supported by Catholicism and "heretical" Protestantism - but ended as resistance to the power of the Habsburg dynasty.

The Westphalian world became noteworthy in that it required the convening of the first pan-European congress for its adoption. Protestants got what they dreamed of earlier - equal rights with Catholics, which became possible due to the principle of religious tolerance. As a consequence, the religious, interconfessional factor has weakened in relations between states. The principle of "whose country, that and belief," which caused wars between states of different faiths, was abolished. Moreover, the hierarchical system of interrelations between the European heads, on which the German emperor played the leading role, was eliminated, and the kings obeyed him. This was replaced by the principle of the sovereignty of states. Each of the kings received equal rights with the emperor of Germany. The new European order derives its origin from here. It must be said that the Westphalian world has completely resolved exactly those problems and contradictions that have caused the long Thirty Years' War.

However, this agreement became fatal for the powerful German Empire, which stretched in the center of Europe. The emperor of this state association was no longer the number one person in Europe, and the kings of neighboring countries got the right to conduct business and conclude alliances without his agreement with a single clause - "not to the detriment of the interests of the emperor." In fact, the power of the latter in all of Europe, except Germany, was abolished. In addition, the country to which he directly ruled lost a number of territories and was soon fragmented into many lands, since such a division also provided for the Treaty of Westphalia. After all, the right to rule at their own discretion and conclude alliances among themselves received not only kings but also imperial ranks. In fact, the country was fragmented into small independent principalities, the power of the emperor was leveled, and princely arbitrariness was practically legalized. Over time, each of the small principalities had its own currency, which caused problems with trade between these state entities. The unity of Germany was destroyed and restored only in the late nineteenth century. The cities of Verdun, Wismar and Bremen, as well as the mouth of the Oder River, the island of Rügen and a significant part of Pomerania became the property of the Swedish crown. In addition, Switzerland gained complete independence.

The Westphalian world became the basis for the vast majority of all subsequent peace treaties, and not only between European countries. It is unlikely that any other agreement has had such a serious impact on the political system of Europe and many other countries. The Westphalian model of the world can be viewed as a system of relations between countries in which the objects are independent powers (with sovereignty being the determining factor for the state, not the ruler), and as a system of world order in which independent countries act as actors.