Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III.
Holy Roman Emperor · King of Bohemia · King of Hungary · Archduke of Austria
1608 – 1657
Biography
Closed the Thirty Years' War with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, a settlement that confirmed the religious pluralism of the Empire and effectively dissolved the emperor's authority over the German princes. The Empire after Westphalia was less a state than a loose confederation; the Habsburgs' real power thereafter rested on their hereditary lands in Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary, not on the imperial title.
Events
The series of treaties signed at Münster and Osnabrück in October 1648 ended the Thirty Years' War in the Empire and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic. The settlement recognized the sovereignty of the German princes, granted formal independence to the Dutch and the Swiss, and established the principle of cuius regio, eius religio (whose realm, his religion) on a durable basis. Conventionally cited as the foundation of the modern European state system.
Recommended Reading
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.