Treaty of Münster (October 1648)

The Treaty of Münster of 24 October 1648[1] was a treaty signed in Münster between, on the one hand, the Kingdom of France with regent cardinal Jules Mazarin for the underage king Louis XIV of France, plus his allies, and, on the other hand, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III and his allies.

Solemn dispatch of the treaty of peace of Münster, made in Vienna by the emperor Ferdinand III, 7 November 1648. Archives Nationales. AE/I/1/11

Background

The treaty was part of the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and the Eighty Years' War (c. 1566–1648).[1]

Contents

The treaty consists of a main act and two annexes.[2] The main act is the peace treaty itself.[2] The first annex is the act of cession to the King of France of the Three Bishoprics, Alsace, Brisach and Pignerol; the second is the act of cession of Alsace to the King of France.

This treaty took a long time to materialise. Indeed, the negotiations started on 25 December 1641, but the signatures were not formalised until seven years later. This delay was due to some delicate issues – including the structure of the Empire – on which the authorities did not agree.

References

  1. "Westfalen, Vrede van". Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins (in Dutch). Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. 2002.
  2. Duparc 1948, p. 53.

Bibliography

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