The country that rose to power as a result of the Peace of Westphalia was France.
The term of Peace of Westphalia refers to the two peace treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, the latter in the Hall of Peace of the municipality of Münster, in the historic region of Westphalia, with which ended the Thirty Years War in Germany and the Eighty Years War between Spain and the Netherlands. In these treaties participated the Holy Roman Emperor (Ferdinand III of Habsburg), the Hispanic Monarchy, the kingdoms of France and Sweden, the United Provinces (Netherlands) and their respective allies.
The Peace of Westphalia gave rise to the first modern diplomatic congress and initiated a new order in central Europe based on the concept of national sovereignty.
France was the great beneficiary of the Peace of Westphalia. On the one hand, it reduced the power of its great continental adversary, the Holy Roman Empire, and on the other it expanded towards the East with the annexation of Metz, Verdun, Alsace, Breisach and the military dominance of the city of Philippsburg. From then on, and especially after the Peace of the Pyrenees, France became the hegemonic power of Europe.
