Tj Henderson

Mr. Schamber
AP European History
14 October 2016

The decrease in Papal authority, religious tolerance among

several sects of Christianity, and the decrease in the significance of
religion in order to increase the monarchial power and dominance are
all religious outcomes of the Peace of Westphalia that made it a major
turning point. The rise of the French economy and the fall of the Holy
Roman Empires leadership roles, the rise of Prussian leadership in
place of the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Military Revolution are
political outcomes of the Peace of Westphalia that made it a major
turning point.
Throughout the beginning of European history, the Pope was
looked upon as a supreme ruler under God, spiritually and politically.
Before the Peace of Westphalia he had a great deal of authority over
Europeans because he held what essentially every person longed for,
salvation, but this soon changed during the Protestant Reformation
when Europeans began exploring other religious avenues to achieve
salvation. Fast forwarding to the Peace of Westphalia, this allowed
people within the Holy Roman Empire, depending on the religion the
prince chose to follow, to not only be Catholic or Lutheran, but it also

included Calvinism, which made it legal. Since Catholics and Lutherans

were previously granted the legalization of their religions in the Peace
of Augsburg, they did not see the Peace of Westphalia as a major
turning point, but Calvinist did because for once they could legally be
Calvinist while in the Holy Roman Empire. Although the Peace of
Westphalia technically was only pertaining to the people in the Holy
Roman Empire, countries all over began to follow the idea of religious
tolerance, like the Netherlands. Because of the idea of religious
tolerance spreading rapidly throughout Europe, the authority of the
Pope decreased because he was now competing with two other
religions for followers, and fewer followers meant less power. This was
a major turning point for the Pope because he was used to controlling
people with salvation and using it as a source of power, but now since
he did not have as many followers of Catholicism to potentially control,
his power decreased significantly. Prior to the Peace of Westphalia,
Philipp II of Spain used religion (Catholicism) to unify Spain and
centralize his power, but following the Peace of Westphalia, monarchs
began to focus more on securing power rather than the religious
differences. This was a major turning point that was an affect solely by
the Peace of Westphalia because prior to it, religion was how a ruler
would secure their power, but following the peace treaty, they decide
to separate them. Religious wise the Peace of Westphalia established

the idea of religious tolerance which resulted in a decline of Papal

authority and an increase in monarchial power.
A common question asked is Why did France get involved in the
war and fight alongside the Protestants if they were Catholic? and the
answer is, because Cardinal Richelieu wanted to weaken the Holy
Roman Empire to the point where they could not rise above France. He
also wanted to eliminate the Hapsburg power and dominance over
Europe. By fighting he would do this because the Holy Roman Emperor
was Ferdinand II (Hapsburg), and the Spanish army assisted Ferdinand
in fighting the Protestants in which were ruled by Hapsburgs. This is a
major turning point because not only does France become the most
powerful country in Europe, but also the Holy Roman Empire weakens
significantly to the point where Prussia steps in to fulfill the major
leadership roles throughout the empire. All of the states were
sovereign and were basically run by the Prince and no one else. As a
result of the war the United Provinces and Sweden gain their
independence, which majorly decreases the power of the Holy Roman
Empire. One major reason why the Holy Roman Empire suffered
economically was because of the warfare during the 30 Years War and
the cost of the war. The negative economic outcomes of the war were a
major turning point following the Peace of Westphalia because they
showed how there was a need for a military revolution, which would
modernize the fighting methods. When Gustavus Adolphus assembled

the first standing army, other countries begin to follow because it was
a modern way of warfare that was more effective. This led to the
production of accurate and efficient firearms, which were used in
battle. All of this was a major benefit, but taxes increased heavily
because this new modern way of fighting was very expensive. Rulers
looked past the cost because the new modern way of fighting would
allow countries to gain power through protection of their land, but also
invade or fight others when needed.
The Peace of Westphalia was a major turning point religiously
and politically because it introduced religious tolerance to Europe,
which decreased Papal authority, and also made religion not as
important in ruling. Politically, it strengthened the power of France,
making it the most dominant country in Europe, but it also weakened
the Holy Roman Empire significantly, which led to the Military
Revolution because of the economic decline in the Holy Roman Empire.
The Peace of Westphalia is similar to the 1st Amendment of the
American Constitution, specifically the freedom of religion because it
states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The First
Amendment was a major turning point in American history because
prior to it America not always accepted foreign religions, so the fact
that they allowed them to be practiced in their land is a major turning
point. With the Peace of Westphalia, religious freedom or religious

tolerance mainly dealt with domestic sects of Catholicism instead of

foreign religions, but it is still a major turning point because prior to the
Peace of Westphalia there was no religious tolerance.