Interpreting the Peace of Westphalia
Title: Interpreting the Peace of Westphalia
Subject/Course: World History: The West and the World (CHY4U)
Strand: Communities, Local, National, and Global & Methods of Historical
Inquiry and Communication
Time: 75 min.
Grades: 12
Lesson Description
This is the introductory lesson to looking at the Westphalian state system by looking at the series of treaties which make up
the Peace of Westphalia. The Peace of Westphalia refers to treaties that ended the Thirty Years War. It created the
community of states and their sovereignty to create the type of government desired. The lesson looks at the relevance of the
Peace of Westphalia, elements of sovereignty, religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and the aspirations of
individuals in securing additional territory. This is attempted through a primary document of the original translated text of
the treaties that were signed in 1648, along with several maps depicting Europe after the Peace of Westphalia.
Stage 1: Desired Results
Fundamental Concepts/Skills
Analyzing and interpreting the text of an international treaty to learn about the themes of sovereignty, conquest, territory
acquisition, peace, negotiations, and internationalism.
Big Ideas/Essential Question
What resulted from the Peace of Westphalia?
Ontario Curricular Overall Expectation
Communities: Local, National, and Global
- Evaluate the factors that have led to conflict and war or to cooperation and peace between and within various
communities from the sixteenth century to the present
Methods of Historical Inquiry and Communication
- Use methods of historical inquiry to evaluate research materials from a variety of sources
- Communicate the results of historical inquiries, using appropriate terms and concepts and a variety of forms of
communication
Ontario Curricular Specific Expectation
- Conflict and Cooperation: Assess the reasons for the success or failure of selected approaches to maintaining
international order (e.g. the Westphalian state system)
-
Research: Use a variety of relevant primary sources
Communication: Use appropriate terminology to communicate results of inquiries into historical topics and issues
Lesson Goals
 To interpret the following quote: “For better or worse, the Peace of Westphalia marked the end of an epoch and the
opening of another. In the political field it meant the final abandonment of the idea of a hierarchical structure of
Christian society under the Holy Roman Emperor and the advent of a new system characterized by the coexistence of
a multiplicity of sovereign States free form[sic] any external earthly authority. The new system rested on the
developing modern international law and on the balance of power, operating between rather than above States.”
(Bernhardt, 2000, p.1467)
Key concepts and/or skills to be learned/applied:
Background Knowledge:

Peace of Westphalia, signatories, ratification,
reservations, entry into force, primary source,
secondary source, sovereignty, article, conquest,
territory acquisition, peace, negotiations,
internationalism
Student Groupings
 Small flexible groups of 4
 Total Group


Students will have completed a university or
university/college preparation course in Canadian and world
studies, English, or social science and humanities
Students will have practised formulating questions, selecting
and using a wide variety of primary and secondary sources,
and analyzing historical events from varying perspectives.
Stage 2: Planning learning experience and instruction
Instructional Strategies
 Experiential Learning
 Guided Instruction
Materials
Considerations
 Electronic Image of Churches of Peace
 Provide any background information to students in
groups
 Smartboard
 Peace of Westphalia from Consolidated Treaty Series
 6 maps
 Interpreting the Peace of Westphalia
 English version of Peace of Westphalia
 Differences between Primary Sources and Secondary
Sources
Accommodations
Based on varying intellectual abilities, the following accommodations may be made
 Instructional: Students can look into locating and learning about the Peace of Prague 1635 and the Treaty of the
Pyrenees 1659 and how they relate to the Peace of Westphalia.
The 6 maps are of varying levels of intricacy ranging from concrete to abstract.
Any documents are available on-line for use with any assistive technologies
 Environmental: Post cue sheets in the classroom relating to the topic
 Assessment: Provide clear directions and divide the assignment into several steps
Stage 3: Learning experience and instruction
Motivational Hook (10 MINS.):
Show the images/article of the Churches of Peace which have been named UNESCO world heritage sites. Explain to
students that this is what happened after the the Peace of Westphalia 1648, but today we’re going go back to the original
documents which initiated this peace.
Questions to pose: Is it important to connect a historical event with events that occurred after the signing of the treaty?
How can the effectiveness of an historical event be measured?
Open (5 MINS):
Place students in teams of 3 to 4 based on varying ability levels. Provide students with an English copy of one-third of the
treaty, but explain that the original Latin versions are being circulated so students can observe the way the treaty was
written along with the signatories. Handout sheet with a list of questions to consider while reading the portion of the
treaty.
Body (50 MINS):

Ask students to work in their groups with the documents provided and respond to the questions on the handout.
Resources are available to look up the definitions of words if necessary.
Close (10 MINS):
Ask students to hand in their work sheets. These will not be evaluated but formative feedback will be provided in
preparation for a future lesson where the groups of students will present their findings. Since each small flexible group
received one-third of the treaty, each group will present with two groups so that nine students are presenting the entire
treaty. This should provide approximately three presentations of students interpretations of the treaty.
Ask students: What did you learn about reading and interpreting the original text of the Peace of Westphalia? Would you
prefer to read about the interpretation of a treaty or would you rather see the treaty and interpret it?
Link to Future Lessons
 In future lessons, students will work towards preparing a presentation for the class. Although this work will be
done in the groups of 3 to 4, the presentation will occur in a sequence of 3 groups presenting so that the other
students will be able to observe how the three parts link together.
Assessment
 Formative assessment on responses to interpretation of the Peace of Westphalia.