Peace of Münster
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The Peace of Münster was a landmark treaty for the Dutch republic and one of the key events in Dutch and Belgian history. The treaty was a part of the Peace of Westphalia which was signed in 1648 and ended both the Thirty as well as the Eighty years' war.
[edit] Eighty Years War
The Eighty Years' War, or Dutch Revolt or (1566-1648), was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands against the Spanish (Habsburg) empire.
Spain was initially successful in suppressing the rebellion. In 1572, however, the rebels conquered Brielle, and the rebellion resurged. During the revolt the Northern Netherlands becamede facto and rapidly grew to become a world power through its merchant shipping and experienced a period of economic, scientific, and cultural growth. However at the same time the Southern Netherlands (situated in modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg and Northern France) remained under Spanish rule. Despite various attempt the Dutch never managed to expel the Spanish. In the final years of the war the French allied themselves with the Dutch and they attacked the weakened Spanish in the rear. By 1648 large areas of the Southern Netherlands had been lost to France and despite many military successes many Dutchmen and women wanted to sue for peace.
[edit] Negotiations and peace
The negotiations between the fighting parties began in 1641 in the towns of Münster and Osnabruck, in present-day Germany.
Despite not formally being recognised as a state the Dutch republic was allowed to participate in the peace talks, even Spain did not oppose this. In January 1646 8 Dutch representatives arrived in Münster to start the negotiations. The Spanish envoys had been given great authority by the Spanish King Philip IV who'd been suing for peace for years. On January 30 1648 the parties reached an agreement and a text was send to The Hague and Madrid to be signed. On May 15th of the same year peace was made
[edit] Sources
- Boer,H.W.J.de, H.Bruch en H.Krol (red.) Adriaan Pauw (1585-1653); staatsman en ambachtsheer. Heemstede, VOHB, 1985
- Poelhekke, J.J. De vrede van Munster. 's-Gravenhage, Martinus Nijhoff, 1948.de:Friede von Münster
