THE WESTFALIA TREATY

The Westfalia treaty has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the People, Dates, Places and Events category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the entire history of european integration and the future of Europe.

The Westfalia treaty of 1648 A.D. is one of the most important event in whole history of european integration and will probably have influence on the future of United Europe, because it changed the international politics until nowdays and established in Europe a regime of stability endured until the First World War and recovered by the European Union treaties.

What is the Treaty of Westfalia? At the political-diplomatic congress held in Munster and Osnabruck, in the historical german region of Westfalia, the European states ratified a fundamental multilateral peace treaty to end the "Religious Wars" began with the Protest revolt during the emperor Charles V ruling and continued along the religious revolutions in England, in France, in the Netherlands, in Switzerland, in Bohemia and in Denmark and Sweden until the end of the "Thirty Year's War" in 1648 A.D.. The Westfalia treaty had been the watershed of the history of european integration and the definitive starting of the Modern Age: it recognized the political status quo and the full sovereignty of the European states (acceptance of the principle "superiorem non reconosces" proclamed by the french king Philippe II August in 1215 A.D.!), that since then would have entertained their reciprocal political relations by respecting the diplomatic regulations and the general principle of "balance power".

The Reich Empire as reformed in 1356 A.D. validated the juridical principles sanctioned by the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 A.D. to admit the main christian confessions and protestant movements within the Ecclesiae Christiana: at that purpose was instituted the Diet of Ratisbona representing all the Principades and "free town" of the Empire, a kind of Parliament, added to the articles of the Westfalia treaty about the religious freedom and tolerance, meantime it was admitted the secularisation right on the Roman Church good and properties occupied. Moreover, the ancient Duche of Bavaria was eleveted as Elective Price of the Empire under the Wittelsbach dinasty.

Why was the Treaty of Westfalia important? For the first time there was the public admittance of political independence of a "nation": that had been the case of the Netherlands under the Nassau-Orange dinasty, of Switzerland (confirmation of its neutrality from the 1499 A.D. international treaty) and of Portugal under the new royal dinasty of Braganza (after the personal ruling by spanish king Philippe II). Since then Europe recognized itself as a plurality of European peoples and "public" states open to access to the power by the european genealogies, over the ancient tradition of the annointed kings under the Popes auctoritas especially after the Counter-Reformation act. The role of defensor fidei of Christianity passed to the Reich Empire, now definitely moved to Wien under the Habsburg austrian dinasty, because the Spain was in decadence as continental super-power: so the ancient Imperium became a state among the others and never more the ancient supreme acutoritas that had controlled the destiny of Europe since the 1st Nicean Council!

The westphalian system established the international relations method to regulate the tradings, navigation, economic or political sectors among the different states, became independent and oriented to their national interests managed by the ministers, ni order of the jurisdictional rules descending from their recognized international sovereignity: that was the "modern state" model still used nowadays, protagonist of the international politics and player of the Ius Publicum Europeum. The Westfalia treaty sanctioned for alla states the civil wellness and economic "common good", by following the phylosofical ideas of Thomas Aquinas, as well as the religious tolerance and consciousness freedom teached by the "rationalist" scolars of the aristotelic school, substained by Queen Elizabeth I that some years later brough to english civil war and to the "Glorious Revolution".

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