Important Treaties
Treaty
Treaty/Peace of Augsburg
Date
1555
Treaty of Tordesillas
1494
Treaty/Peace of
Westphalia
1648
Treaty/Peace of Utrecht
1713
Treaty of Aix-la Chapelle
1748
Treaty of Paris
1763
Important Details
Temporarily established peace in the German territories of the Holy Roman Empire
following the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation. As Lutheranism spread,
violence broke out between the Catholics and Protestants. This treaty provided a legal
basis for the existence of Lutheranism by allowing German princes to choose the
religion of their territory. The people living in the territory would be expected to
follow the religion of the prince or leave and move to a territory that did recognize
their religious beliefs.
This treaty did not protect the religious beliefs of Calvinists.
Settled territorial disputes between Spain and Portugal. Spain and Portugal led the
“Age of Exploration” and began to feud over which country had access to which lands
for exploration and colonization. The Pope intermediated in this conflict and came up
with a solution. The Line of Demarcation (an imaginary line that ran north to south
through the Atlantic Ocean) would serve as the dividing line between the two empires.
Portugal was given rights to settle all lands to the east of the line (which included
Brazil in South America) while Spain was given all the lands to the west of the line.
Ended the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). This treaty brought an end to over a
century of religious wars in Europe. Germany was largely devastated by the war due
to severe depopulation and destruction. The treaty granted greater autonomy to the
territories of the Holy Roman Empire as the power of the emperor was severely
reduced. France emerged from the war with the most secure position of power.
Ended the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1713). The war began after the death of
Charles II (the last of the Spanish Hapsburgs to rule). Philip of Anjou (the grandson of
Louis XIV of France) was in line to inherit the throne. He was also in line to inherit
the throne of France at the same time. The War of Spanish Succession was fought to
prevent the union of Spain and France under one ruler.
The Peace of Utrecht declared that Philip would serve as the king of Spain (he was the
first of the Bourbon family to sit on the throne of Spain) but was NOT permitted to
become king of France. Two years later (in 1715), Louis XIV died and his great
grandson inherited the throne as Louis XV.
Ended the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Charles VI of Austria died
without a male heir in 1740. His daughter, Maria Theresa, ascended to the throne, but
not without conflict. Despite the Pragmatic Sanction (which had been issued in 1713
to legalize female inheritance of the Austrian throne), neighboring territories began to
see Austria as weak and questioned the authority of the queen. Prussia (led by
Frederick II) was the biggest aggressor in this war. Prussia saw this war as an
opportunity to increase its own power at the expense of Austria. Other countries
joined the war to help either Austria or Prussia. The Treaty of Aix-la Chapelle
acknowledged Maria Theresa’s right to the Austrian throne, but Austria did lose land
to Prussia….Silesia, a very wealthy province was transferred to Prussia. The conflict
between Prussia and Austria will continue throughout the 1800’s.
Ended the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). The Seven Years’ War is often considered
the first global war due to the fact that it was fought on three continents (North
America, Europe, and India in South Asia). Although Prussia was involved in the
European phase of the war, the war was really a power struggle between France and
Great Britain. France had enjoyed a place as the dominant political power on the
European continent while Great Britain was considered the naval power in Europe.
The two become rivals of each other as they compete for power, influence, and land.
Great Britain emerges as the “winner” of the two and gains land in Canada as well as
India. Both countries, however, will suffer from war debt. This war debt will
eventually lead to the American Revolution and the French Revolution.