October 24, 1648 · Westphalia Theater
October 24, 1648
After five years of negotiation in the twin congress cities of Münster and Osnabrück, representatives of nearly every European power signed the Peace of Westphalia, ending the Thirty Years' War. France gained Alsace and confirmation of its bishoprics; Sweden gained territories in northern Germany; the Swiss Confederation and Dutch Republic gained formal independence; German princes gained sovereignty over their own religious affairs.
Commanders