# Peace of Westphalia (1648)

URL: https://germany-history.com/timeline/1648-peace-of-westphalia
Location: Münster and Osnabrück
Categories: main-event

On 24 October 1648 treaties signed in Münster and Osnabrück ended the Thirty Years' War. Calvinism was recognised and the German princes gained near-sovereignty. Germany had lost perhaps a third of its population.

## Why it matters
It shaped the European state system and left Germany fragmented for two centuries.

Ruler at the time: [Ferdinand III](https://germany-history.com/rulers/ferdinand-iii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia – Peace of Westphalia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia)
- [Wikipedia – Thirty Years' War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years'_War)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica – Peace of Westphalia](https://www.britannica.com/event/Peace-of-Westphalia)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica – Thirty Years' War](https://www.britannica.com/event/Thirty-Years-War)