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{{Short description|1648 treaty between the Netherlands and Spain}}
{{about|the 1648 treaty between Spain and the Dutch Republic|the 1648 treaty between France and the Holy Roman Empire|Treaty of Münster (October 1648)}}
{{Infobox treaty
|name = Peace of Münster
|image = Westfaelischer Friede in Muenster (Gerard Terborch 1648).jpg
|image_alt = 
|image_width = 200px
|caption = Ratifying the Peace of Münster 
|context = End of the [[Eighty Years' War]]
|date_signed = 30 January 1648
|negotiators =
* {{flagicon|Habsburg Spain}}[[Gaspar de Bracamonte, 3rd Count of Peñaranda|Gaspar de Bracamonte]] 
* {{flagicon|Habsburg Spain}} [[Antoine Brun]]
* {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}}[[Adriaan Pauw]] 
* {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} Johan de Knuyt
|signatories = 
* {{flagicon|Habsburg Spain}} [[Philip IV of Spain]] 
* {{flagicon|Dutch Republic}} [[States General of the Netherlands#Dutch Republic|Dutch Republic]]
|location_signed = [[Münster]], [[Germany]]
|languages = 
|
}}
The '''Peace of Münster''', signed on 30 January 1648, was a [[treaty]] between [[Philip IV of Spain]] and the [[States-General of the Netherlands|Lords States General]] of the [[Dutch Republic]].{{efn|The Treaty does not use the word ''Republic'' but instead recognises the Lords States General as ''sovereign''.}}<ref>[https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/timeline-dutch-history/1648-treaty-of-munster 1648 Treaty of Munster]. Rijks Museum/</ref> Negotiated in parallel to, but not part of, the [[Peace of Westphalia]], under its terms [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]] formally recognised the independent [[Dutch Republic]], and ended the [[Eighty Years' War]].

<!--== Background ==
{{excerpt|Eighty Years' War, 1621–1648}}-->
== Negotiations ==
{{See also|Peace of Westphalia}}
Negotiations between began in 1641 in the town of [[Münster]], in the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. With the initiation of Spanish-Dutch peace talks, Dutch trade with the [[Levant]] and the [[Iberian Peninsula]] began to flourish. Dutch merchants, benefiting from both the availability of relatively cheap shipping and the cessation of hostilities, soon dominated the markets that had been previously dominated by English traders. Dutch merchants would also benefit from the foreign upheavals of the [[English Civil War]] and gain on English trade in their American colonies.<ref>Gijs Rommelse, "The Role of Mercantilism in Anglo-Dutch political relations, 1650–74", p. 596. ''[[Economic History Review]]'', New Series, Vol. 63, No. 3 (August 2010), pp. 591–611. {{JSTOR|40929818}}.</ref>

While Spain did not recognise the Dutch Republic, it agreed that the Lords States General of the United Netherlands was 'sovereign' and could participate in the peace talks. On the Dutch side this was a result of the immense political pressure from the entire ''Bicker-De Graeff Clan''.<ref name="Mak" >[https://books.google.com/books?id=YFXrynNBj_0C&q=M%C3%BCnster+de+graeff+bicker Amsterdam: a brief life of the city. By Geert Mak, Harvill Press (1999), p. 123]</ref> Their leaders [[Andries Bicker|Andries]] and [[Cornelis Bicker]],<ref name="Letterkundig" >
[http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/laan005lett01_01/laan005lett01_01_0743.php Andries and Cornelis Bicker at ''Letterkundig woordenboek voor Noord en Zuid'']</ref> [[Cornelis de Graeff|Cornelis]] and [[Andries de Graeff]] from Amsterdam<ref name="Mak" /> as well as [[Jacob de Witt]] from Dordrecht<ref name="Mak" /> vehemently pushed for this peace.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Bo_dCgAAQBAJ&q=Vrede+van+munster+de+graeff+bicker Buitenplaatsen in de Gouden Eeuw: De rijkdom van het buitenleven in de Republik. Herausgegeben von Y. Kuiper, Ben Olde Meierink, Elyze Storms-Smeets, S. 71 (2015)]</ref> In January 1646, eight Dutch representatives arrived in Münster to begin negotiations; these included two delegates from [[Holland]] with one each from the other six provinces. The Spanish envoys were [[Gaspar de Bracamonte, 3rd Count of Peñaranda]] and [[Antoine Brun]], who were given wide negotiating authority by [[Philip IV of Spain]].{{cn|date=July 2022}}

[[File:Westfaelischer Friede in Muenster (Gerard Terborch 1648) extract.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|Detail of the Peace of Westphalia in Münster (Gerard Terborch 1648) ]]

On 30 January 1646, [[Adriaan Pauw]]  and Johan de Knuyt, representing Holland and Zeeland, reached an armistice for twenty years and recognition of [[State sovereignty]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/beleven/onderwijs/bronnenbox/eindelijk-vrede-1648#collapse-3657 | title=Eindelijk vrede (1648) &#124; Nationaal Archief }}</ref> On 8 January 1647, a provisional peace agreement was reached, recognizing the status quo in the East and West Indies, as well as the patents of the [[Dutch East India Company]] and the [[Dutch West India Company|West India Company]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/beleven/onderwijs/bronnenbox/eindelijk-vrede-1648#collapse-3657 | title=Eindelijk vrede (1648) &#124; Nationaal Archief }}</ref> In March 1647, [[Frederick Henry of Orange]] died. Bicker, Adriaan Pauw and the inner power circle of the States of Holland advocated a drastic reduction in Dutch forces.<ref>Jonathan I. Israel: ''The Dutch Republic – Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall – 1477–1806''. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1995, S. 602. ISBN 978-0-19-820734-4</ref> In July 1647, the Spanish government made a proposal aimed at making Amsterdam the staple market for Spanish silver. In October the States General decided to authorize the admiralties to issue passports for the export of silver imported from Spain. [[Andries Bicker]] was involved in the request.<ref>[[J.G. van Dillen]] (1970) Van rijkdom en regenten. Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek, pp. 31–32</ref> He provided ships to transport Spanish silver from [[Cadiz]] to the [[Spanish Netherlands]]. 

The States General sent eight delegates from several of the provinces as none trusted the others to represent them adequately. They were [[Willem Ripperda]] (Overijssel), Frans van Donia (Friesland), Adriaen Clant tot Stedum (Groningen), [[Adriaan Pauw]] and Jan van Mathenesse (Holland), Barthold van Gent (Gelderland), Johan de Knuyt (Zeeland) and Godert van Reede (Utrecht). The negotiations were held in what is now the Haus der Niederlande in Münster.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

=== Outcome ===
[[File:Proclamation of the treaty of Munster MET DP823140.jpg|thumb|Proclamation of the treaty of Münster by [[Wenceslaus Hollar]] ]]
On 30 January 1648, the parties reached agreement and the text sent to the Hague and Madrid for approval. As an immediate consequence of the signing of the treaty, on 4 February the ambassadors of both countries agreed to and signed on to a particular item on the navigation and trade between the two states, her colonies and dominions. 

The treaty was  ratified by king Philip IV in Madrid on 1 March,{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=146}} and by the Assembly of the States General in the Hague on 18 April and solemnly published and announced in the [[Historical City Hall of Münster|town hall of Münster]] on 15 May 1648.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pares.mcu.es/ParesBusquedas20/catalogo/description/12894060/ | title=EST,LEG,2943,27 - Treaty of peace between Spain and the Netherlands }}</ref> The delegate of Zeeland refused to attend, and the delegate of Utrecht suffered a possibly [[diplomatic illness]].{{sfn|Israel|1995|pp=596–597}} The States General narrowly approved the Treaty on 5 June 1648.<ref name=UMass>{{cite web|title=The Treaty of Münster, 1648|url=http://www1.umassd.edu/euro/resources/dutchrep/14.pdf|publisher=University of Massachusetts|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713125909/http://www1.umassd.edu/euro/resources/dutchrep/14.pdf}}</ref> 

The text was adopted in four copies, two in French and two in Dutch.{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=146}} The Utrecht delegate Nederhorst initially refused to put down his signature and seal, but after being forced to do so by his province, he put them on 30 April (although they no longer fit neatly on the document).{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=146}} On 15 May 1648, the peace was definitively signed and solemnly ratified with an oath by Dutch and Spanish envoys, while a huge crowd was spectating the proceedings from the sidelines.{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=146}}

Despite achieving independence, there was considerable opposition to the Treaty within the States General since it allowed Spain to retain the Southern Provinces and permitted religious toleration for Catholics. Support from the powerful province of Holland meant it was narrowly approved but these differences resulted in political conflict.<ref name=UMass/>

== Contents ==

During the peace talks, negotiators representing the Republic and Spain reached an agreement relatively quickly.{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=142}} The text of the [[Twelve Years' Truce]] was taken as the foundation, and this made it much easier to formulate the peace treaty, because many articles could be copied without many changes.{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=142}} If one compares the texts of the Twelve Years' Truce of 1609 to the Peace of Münster of 1648, the articles that correspond in whole or in part are as follows::{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=154}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''Twelve Years' Truce''' (1609)
| Art. 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8 
| 9
| 10/11
| 12
| 13
| 14
| 15
| 16
| 17
| 18 
| 19
| 20
| 21
| 22
| 23
| 24
| 25
| 26
| 27
| 28 
| 29
| 30
| 31
| 32
| 33
| 34
| 36
| 37
| 38
|-
| '''Peace of Münster''' (1648)
| Art. 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 7
| 8
| 17
| 20
| 22
| 23
| 24
| 25
| 31
| 32
| 33
| 34
| 42
| 43
| 46
| 47
| 48
| 51
| 54
| 55
| 56
| 57
| 58
| 59
| 60
| 61
| 62
| 63
| 75
| 77
| 79
|}

[[File:Adriaan Pauw (1585-1653).jpg|thumb|left|Adriaan Pauw (1585-1653)]] 
[[File:Vrede van Munster-2000px Foto Jan Zweerts.jpg|thumb|Archives of the peace treaty of Münster with the signatures and personal seals of the negotiators, in the [[Nationaal Archief|National Archives]] in [[The Hague]]. The treaty is about forty pages in total.]]

The States-General of the Dutch Republic were formally recognised by Spain as a sovereign entity. This important concession by Spain was therefore the first point. Spain stopped regarding the Republic's inhabitants as rebellious Spanish subjects (which it had done for nearly a century). Peace seemed near. France, with which the Republic had agreed to come to a joint treaty with Spain, hindered progress by constantly coming up with new demands. The States then decided to conclude a separate peace with Spain without France.{{sfn|Groenveld|2009|p=146}} 

===Copies===

In the Netherlands, the [[National Archives]] in The Hague keeps two copies of the Peace of Münster, a Dutch-language one ("NL-HaNA 1.01.02 12588.55B"), and a Francophone version ("NL-HaNA 1.01.02 12588.55C").<ref name="Nationaal Archief">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/beleven/onderwijs/bronnenbox/eindelijk-vrede-1648 |title=Eindelijk vrede (1648) |author= |work=Nationaal Archief |date= |access-date=9 July 2022 |language=nl}}</ref> Both versions are provided by the Spanish side with French-language ratifications, both signed by King [[Philip IV of Spain|Philip IV]] – one in Spanish with ''Yo el Rey'' ("I the King"), the other in French with ''Philippe'' ("Philip") – and both bearing his seal in solid gold.<ref name="Nationaal Archief"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://issuu.com/vbku/docs/topstukken_in_perspectief_nationaal |title=Topstukken in perspectief Nationaal Archief |author= |work=Issuu |date=27 March 2019 |access-date=9 July 2022}}</ref>{{rp|12–13}} They are on display in the archive's exhibition room.<ref name="Nationaal Archief"/> The [[Archivo General de Simancas]] in Spain preserves the other Dutch-language copy ("ES.47161.AGS//EST,LEG,2943,27") and the other French-language copy ("ES.47161.AGS//EST,LEG,2943,28").<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pares.mcu.es/ParesBusquedas20/catalogo/description/12894060/ |title=EST,LEG,2943,27 –Treaty of peace between Spain and The Netherlands. |work=PARES |date= |access-date=9 July 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Bartholomeus van der Helst, Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Peace of Münster.jpg|thumb|''The Celebration of the Peace of Münster'' (1648) by [[Bartholomeus van der Helst]]]]
<!--{{excerpt|Aftermath of the Eighty Years' War}}-->

==See also==
* [[Act of Abjuration]]
* [[Thirty Years' War]] ended with [[Peace of Westphalia]], consisting of the [[Treaty of Münster (October 1648)|Treaty of Münster]] and the [[Treaty of Osnabrück]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{HistNl Republic}}
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* Boer, H. W. J. de, H. Bruch en H. Krol (red.) ''Adriaan Pauw (1585–1653); staatsman en ambachtsheer''. Heemstede, VOHB, 1985
* {{Cite book |last=Groenveld |first=Simon |date=2009 |title=Unie – Bestand – Vrede. Drie fundamentele wetten van de Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zo6Dx5VYXFIC |publisher=Uitgeverij Verloren |location=Hilversum |isbn=9789087041274 |pages=200}} (in cooperation with H.L.Ph. Leeuwenberg and H.B. van der Weel)
* {{Cite book |last=Israel |first=Jonathan |authorlink=Jonathan Israel |date=1995 |title=The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477–1806 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-873072-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lesaffer |first=Randall |date=2006 |title=Ius Brabanticum, ius commune, ius gentium |chapter=Siege Warfare and the Early Modern Laws of War |url=https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/754969/SIEGEWAR.PDF |pages=87–109}}
* Manzano Baena, Laura (Winter 2007), "Negotiating Sovereignty: The Peace Treaty of Münster, 1648", ''History of Political Thought'', Volume 28, Number 4, pp.&nbsp;617–641. {{JSTOR|26222899}}.
* {{Cite book |last1=Mulder |first1=Liek |last2=Doedens |first2=Anne |last3=Kortlever |first3=Yolande |date=2008 |title=Geschiedenis van Nederland, van prehistorie tot heden |url= |location=Baarn |publisher=HBuitgevers |pages=288 |isbn=9789055746262}}
* Poelhekke, J. J. ''De vrede van Munster''. 's-Gravenhage, Martinus Nijhoff, 1948.

== External links ==
{{Wikisourcelang|nl|Vrede van Münster}}
{{Wikisourcelang|fr|Traité de Münster (janvier 1648)}}
* [https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/1.01.02/invnr/12588.55B/file/NL-HaNA_1.01.02_12588.55B_01 Scans from the National Archives (The Hague) of the Dutch-language version (12588.55B) of the Peace of Münster]
* [https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/1.01.02/invnr/12588.55C/file/NL-HaNA_1.01.02_12588.55C_01 Scans from the National Archives (The Hague) of the French-language version (12588.55C) of the Peace of Münster]
* [https://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/que/normal/que2603.pdf Printed Latin and German translations of the original text of the Peace of Münster (30 January 1648)]
* [https://www.dipublico.org/3654/treaty-of-munster-1648-en-espanol/ Tratado de Münster (1648) en español] – Modern Spanish version

{{Netherlands topics}}
{{Thirty Years' War treaties}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peace of Munster}}
[[Category:1648 in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Treaties of the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:Peace treaties of Spain]]
[[Category:1648 in the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:1648 treaties]]
[[Category:1648 in Spain]]
[[Category:History of Münster]]
[[Category:Eighty Years' War (1621–1648)]]
[[Category:1648 in Europe]]
[[Category:Dutch Republic–Spain relations]]
[[Category:Thirty Years' War treaties]]