Peace of Westphalia, treaty, signed October 24, 1648, closed the Thirty-Years War and readjusted the religious and political affairs of Europe. It is called prefer that because the negotiations, which began in 1644, happened in the German cities of Münster and Osnabrück, in Westphalia. The main participants were France and Sweden and opponents Spain as well as the Holy Roman Empire. By the terms with the treaty, the sovereignty and independence of each and every state from the Holy Roman Empire was fully recognized, making the Holy Roman emperor virtually powerless.

By early 1640s, after witnessing a whole lot abuse with the Hapsburg Emperor’s feudal authority contrary to the peoples on the small and war-devastated German states; and realizing the horrors with the Thirty Years’ War were leading toward the destruction of civilization, Cardinal Jules de Mazarin acted to shift a person’s eye of Europe from religious conflicts. He sought to base a peace around the economic recovery and political sovereignty in the German Electorates and States, to relocate them towards freedom on the tyranny with the Emperor.

According towards the treaty either side must forget whatever happened in their mind and each side must avoid any act of hostility towards other side as taking revenge. Neither this side nor one other must help another’s enemies. Both sides must attempt to reconstruct and reestablish the damages remained ever since the war.

Before the Treaty of Westphalia, according towards the treaty of Augsburg (1555), the religion of every German state would have been to be determined from the religion of their prince-Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Calvinist. If a prince changed his religion although forfeit his lands; this provision was included as being a method of checking the spread in the Reformation. The Peace of Westphalia marked the close on the period of religious wars. Thereafter, European armed struggles were waged principally for political ends.

After the Thirty-Years War which was within the independence of lands ruled from the Holy Roman Empire as well as on religions, each on the German states on the Holy Roman Empire became independent enough never to be obliged to obey the Empire on peace and war. In terms of religion they are able to have the religion they needed to have and have absolutely private or public churches and in some cases the Calvin followers were respected.

Despite the numerous results and consequences how the treaty had, I think an important and influential result from the Treaty of Westphalia was fully recognition in the independence and territorial sovereignty of each one of the states. That is considering that the Treaty of Westphalia, territory is among the most significant along with the determining factor of your state. Since then, scenario is not recognized by its people or by its legitimacy or authority, yet it is recognized by its territory. Territory of your state became valuable and borders got sacred.

Although Germany hasn’t been recognized as an impartial state and yes it was a number of many states, and despite the fact which the treaty ended in Germany’s weakness, it had a benefit for Germany with regard to economic, commerce and trade. That is, because on the expensive tolls from the Venetians, the Dutch as well as the English for the Rhine River, German people can’t trade and commerce. But, as soon as the treaty of Westphalia and recognition in the states as independent it was a benefit for them. Thus, Mazarin started to play a fully new and unique role from the Empire by increasing German freedom in trade and commerce over the main waterways from the Empire.

So as I represent Germany, I could state that economically speaking the treaty was best for Germany and German people, while it led to Germany’s weakness politically and broke it on to many independent states.