What was the Treaty of Westphalia and why was it different than the Treaty of Augsburg?

• The Treaty of Westphalia was one that ended the Thirty Years' War, which took place from 1618 until 1648 in Europe.
• It redistributed lands in the Holy Roman Empire to the several European powers of the time.

• It also changed one major aspect of the Treaty of Augsburg - it added Calvinism as a religion that princes could use under "Cuius Regno, Eius Religio," which means "whoever reigns, the religion is his."


• Before Westphalia, the Treaty of Augsburg only allowed for Catholicism and Lutheranism as religions that princes could put into practice in their land, so Calvinists benefitted from this treaty. 

What is the point of this video?

• It shows how the Treaty of Westphalia's border redistribution were not only made by sound politics, but by insignificant aspects that did not benefit the people of the lands being affected. 
• What could the peasants of these lands do?
• Peasants could leave places being ruled by a prince who had a different religion, but usually this would be impossible because they were peasants.
• Peasants had virtually no social mobility (they were born, lived, and died peasants with no hope of getting substantial wealth or power)
• Treaty of Westphalia did not really benefit them in any significant way and was more for the princes than it was for the people.

Did princes have absolute power when deciding their religion?

• Yes and no. Yes, because a prince could use the decisions made in the Treaties of Westphalia and Augsburg to choose the religion that his people will have to follow, but this would cause a lot of issues (Issues that are similar to what started the Thirty Years' War in the first place), so they had to strike a balance.