The Peace of Münster was a treaty between the Lords States General of the Seven United Netherlands and the Spanish Crown, the terms of which were agreed on 30 January 1648. The treaty, negotiated in parallel to, but not part of, the Peace of Westphalia, is a key event in Dutch history, marking the formal recognition of the independent Dutch Republic and the end of the Eighty Years' War.
Negotiations
Negotiations between began in 1641 in the town of Münster, in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. 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.
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. Their leaders Andries and Cornelis Bicker,Cornelis and Andries de Graeff from Amsterdam as well as Jacob de Witt from Dordrecht vehemently pushed for this peace. 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, and had been given great authority by the Spanish King Philip IV who had been suing for peace for years.[citation needed]
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. 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 West India Company. 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. 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. 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]
Outcome
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, and by the Assembly of the States General in the Hague on 18 April and solemnly published and announced in the town hall of Münster on 15 May 1648. The delegate of Zeeland refused to attend, and the delegate of Utrecht suffered a possibly diplomatic illness. The States General narrowly approved the Treaty on 5 June 1648.
The text was adopted in four copies, two in French and two in Dutch. 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). 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.
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.
Contents
During the peace talks, negotiators representing the Republic and Spain reached an agreement relatively quickly. 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. 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::
| 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 |
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, threw a spanner in the works by constantly coming up with new demands. The States then decided to conclude a separate peace with Spain without France.
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"). Both versions are provided by the Spanish side with French-language ratifications, both signed by King 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.: 12–13 They are on display in the archive's exhibition room. 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").
See also
- Act of Abjuration
- Thirty Years' War ended with Peace of Westphalia, consisting of the Treaty of Münster and the Treaty of Osnabrück
Notes
- The Treaty does not use the word Republic but instead recognizes the Lords States General as sovereign.
References
- 1648 Treaty of Munster. Rijks Museum/
- 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.
- Amsterdam: a brief life of the city. By Geert Mak, Harvill Press (1999), p. 123
- Andries and Cornelis Bicker at Letterkundig woordenboek voor Noord en Zuid
- 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)
- "Eindelijk vrede (1648) | Nationaal Archief".
- "Eindelijk vrede (1648) | Nationaal Archief".
- 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
- J.G. van Dillen (1970) Van rijkdom en regenten. Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek, pp. 31–32
- Groenveld 2009, p. 146.
- "EST,LEG,2943,27 - Treaty of peace between Spain and the Netherlands".
- Israel 1995, pp. 596–597.
- "The Treaty of Münster, 1648" (PDF). University of Massachusetts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2019.
- Groenveld 2009, p. 142.
- Groenveld 2009, p. 154.
- "Eindelijk vrede (1648)". Nationaal Archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- "Topstukken in perspectief Nationaal Archief". Issuu. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- "EST,LEG,2943,27 –Treaty of peace between Spain and The Netherlands". PARES. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
Bibliography
- Boer, H. W. J. de, H. Bruch en H. Krol (red.) Adriaan Pauw (1585–1653); staatsman en ambachtsheer. Heemstede, VOHB, 1985
- Groenveld, Simon (2009). Unie – Bestand – Vrede. Drie fundamentele wetten van de Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden. Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren. p. 200. ISBN 9789087041274. (in cooperation with H.L.Ph. Leeuwenberg and H.B. van der Weel)
- Israel, Jonathan (1995). The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477–1806. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-873072-1.
- Lesaffer, Randall (2006). "Siege Warfare and the Early Modern Laws of War". Ius Brabanticum, ius commune, ius gentium (PDF). pp. 87–109.
- Manzano Baena, Laura (Winter 2007), "Negotiating Sovereignty: The Peace Treaty of Münster, 1648", History of Political Thought, Volume 28, Number 4, pp. 617–641. JSTOR 26222899.
- Mulder, Liek; Doedens, Anne; Kortlever, Yolande (2008). Geschiedenis van Nederland, van prehistorie tot heden. Baarn: HBuitgevers. p. 288. ISBN 9789055746262.
- Poelhekke, J. J. De vrede van Munster. 's-Gravenhage, Martinus Nijhoff, 1948.
External links
- Scans from the National Archives (The Hague) of the Dutch-language version (12588.55B) of the Peace of Münster
- Scans from the National Archives (The Hague) of the French-language version (12588.55C) of the Peace of Münster
- Printed Latin and German translations of the original text of the Peace of Münster (30 January 1648)
- Tratado de Münster (1648) en español – Modern Spanish version
The Peace of Munster was a treaty between the Lords States General of the Seven United Netherlands and the Spanish Crown the terms of which were agreed on 30 January 1648 The treaty negotiated in parallel to but not part of the Peace of Westphalia is a key event in Dutch history marking the formal recognition of the independent Dutch Republic and the end of the Eighty Years War NegotiationsThe Swearing of the Oath of Ratification of the Treaty of Munster in 1648 by Gerard ter BorchDetail of the Peace of Westphalia in Munster Gerard Terborch 1648 Negotiations between began in 1641 in the town of Munster in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation 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 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 Their leaders Andries and Cornelis Bicker Cornelis and Andries de Graeff from Amsterdam as well as Jacob de Witt from Dordrecht vehemently pushed for this peace In January 1646 eight Dutch representatives arrived in Munster 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 Penaranda and Antoine Brun and had been given great authority by the Spanish King Philip IV who had been suing for peace for years citation needed Peace Hall in MunsterEurope after the Peace of Westphalia in 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 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 West India Company 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 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 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 Munster citation needed Outcome Proclamation of the treaty of Munster 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 and by the Assembly of the States General in the Hague on 18 April and solemnly published and announced in the town hall of Munster on 15 May 1648 The delegate of Zeeland refused to attend and the delegate of Utrecht suffered a possibly diplomatic illness The States General narrowly approved the Treaty on 5 June 1648 The text was adopted in four copies two in French and two in Dutch 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 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 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 ContentsDuring the peace talks negotiators representing the Republic and Spain reached an agreement relatively quickly 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 If one compares the texts of the Twelve Years Truce of 1609 to the Peace of Munster of 1648 the articles that correspond in whole or in part are as follows 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 38Peace of Munster 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 79Adriaan Pauw 1585 1653 Archives of the peace treaty of Munster with the signatures and personal seals of the negotiators in the 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 threw a spanner in the works by constantly coming up with new demands The States then decided to conclude a separate peace with Spain without France Copies In the Netherlands the National Archives in The Hague keeps two copies of the Peace of Munster a Dutch language one NL HaNA 1 01 02 12588 55B and a Francophone version NL HaNA 1 01 02 12588 55C Both versions are provided by the Spanish side with French language ratifications both signed by King 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 12 13 They are on display in the archive s exhibition room 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 The Celebration of the Peace of Munster 1648 by Bartholomeus van der HelstSee alsoAct of Abjuration Thirty Years War ended with Peace of Westphalia consisting of the Treaty of Munster and the Treaty of OsnabruckNotesThe Treaty does not use the word Republic but instead recognizes the Lords States General as sovereign References1648 Treaty of Munster Rijks Museum 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 Amsterdam a brief life of the city By Geert Mak Harvill Press 1999 p 123 Andries and Cornelis Bicker at Letterkundig woordenboek voor Noord en Zuid 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 Eindelijk vrede 1648 Nationaal Archief Eindelijk vrede 1648 Nationaal Archief 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 J G van Dillen 1970 Van rijkdom en regenten Handboek tot de economische en sociale geschiedenis van Nederland tijdens de Republiek pp 31 32 Groenveld 2009 p 146 EST LEG 2943 27 Treaty of peace between Spain and the Netherlands Israel 1995 pp 596 597 The Treaty of Munster 1648 PDF University of Massachusetts Archived from the original PDF on 13 July 2019 Groenveld 2009 p 142 Groenveld 2009 p 154 Eindelijk vrede 1648 Nationaal Archief in Dutch Retrieved 9 July 2022 Topstukken in perspectief Nationaal Archief Issuu 27 March 2019 Retrieved 9 July 2022 EST LEG 2943 27 Treaty of peace between Spain and The Netherlands PARES Retrieved 9 July 2022 BibliographyBoer H W J de H Bruch en H Krol red Adriaan Pauw 1585 1653 staatsman en ambachtsheer Heemstede VOHB 1985 Groenveld Simon 2009 Unie Bestand Vrede Drie fundamentele wetten van de Republiek der Verenigde Nederlanden Hilversum Uitgeverij Verloren p 200 ISBN 9789087041274 in cooperation with H L Ph Leeuwenberg and H B van der Weel Israel Jonathan 1995 The Dutch Republic Its Rise Greatness and Fall 1477 1806 Oxford Clarendon Press ISBN 0 19 873072 1 Lesaffer Randall 2006 Siege Warfare and the Early Modern Laws of War Ius Brabanticum ius commune ius gentium PDF pp 87 109 Manzano Baena Laura Winter 2007 Negotiating Sovereignty The Peace Treaty of Munster 1648 History of Political Thought Volume 28 Number 4 pp 617 641 JSTOR 26222899 Mulder Liek Doedens Anne Kortlever Yolande 2008 Geschiedenis van Nederland van prehistorie tot heden Baarn HBuitgevers p 288 ISBN 9789055746262 Poelhekke J J De vrede van Munster s Gravenhage Martinus Nijhoff 1948 External linksDutch Wikisource has original text related to this article Vrede van Munster French Wikisource has original text related to this article Traite de Munster janvier 1648 Scans from the National Archives The Hague of the Dutch language version 12588 55B of the Peace of Munster Scans from the National Archives The Hague of the French language version 12588 55C of the Peace of Munster Printed Latin and German translations of the original text of the Peace of Munster 30 January 1648 Tratado de Munster 1648 en espanol Modern Spanish version
