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Dear Delegates,
My name is Aziz Alimov and I will be serving as your director of the Peace of
Westphalia, this year’s historical committee at CAIMUN 2017. I am currently a
Senior attending Port Moody Secondary School in the IB programme. In my spare
time I like playing the clarinet, ping pong, and going on jogs. I’m a huge history nerd
and have been doing MUN for over a year now, so I’m a perfect fit to be your
director. I hope that I can use my extensive knowledge on the topic and my MUN
experience to make this committee both enjoyable and informative.
The historical committee this year at CAIMUN will take place in 17th century
Europe. The topic focuses on one of the major turning points in history; the Thirty
and Eighty Years’ war and the Peace of Westphalia. The repercussions of this
historical event can still be felt today, yet it is relatively unknown to most people.
The biggest consequences of this summit are shaping how we view sovereignty as
well as being responsible for the rise of Protestantism. Together, with my chair Jun, I
hope to enrich your understanding of both the events of the past as well as shed
light on many present-day conventions.
To beginner delegates, I hope that this will be a great introductory committee for
you! I will try my hardest as director to clearly explain the many rules of procedure
that govern MUN, as well as provide tips on how to succeed in a committee. And
while this backgrounder has been written to the best of my ability in order to serve
as a solid resource for your research, further research beyond this backgrounder is
strongly recommended to all delegates, no matter how experienced. I look forward
to hearing some intense debates on the issues at hand with strong points being
brought up on both sides, instead of pointless rhetoric that lacks any real substance.
Furthermore, I will also like to remind delegates that the point of the committee is
not just to retell history. Instead, this is a chance to represent your countries
differently than how they were represented in the actual Treaty of Westphalia.
Many countries were unsatisfied with how the treaties took place, and will look to
make the terms more favorable for themselves.
At CAIMUN 2017, my goal is to encourage everyone to make meaningful
contributions to the debate, meet new people, and develop a love for MUN. On
behalf of my chair Pranav, we welcome you to CAIMUN 2017!
Best Regards,
Aziz Alimov
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia refers to the conference where the European peace
settlements of 1648 were signed. There, in the Westphalian towns of Münster and
Osnabrück, the peace terms to end both the Thirty Years’ war and the Eighty Years’
war were established.1 The peace conference took nearly four years to complete,
starting in December of 1644 and officially ending in October of 1648.2 Present at
the peace treaties were all of the European powers other than England, Poland,
Russia and the Ottoman Empire.3
The concessions established at the treaty were monumental (see diagrams
below). The Holy Roman Empire, weakened by decades of war and on the verge of
being invaded by the French on one side and the Swedes on the other, decided to
make huge concessions in order to prevent the complete dissolution of the empire.
The terms of the treaty all benefitted Sweden, France, and their allies at the expense
of the Holy Roman Empire.4 While the Peace of Westphalia was still being
negotiated, the armies of France and Sweden were marching upon the Holy Roman
Empire.5 Sweden had reached Vienna, where the general Hans Christoff von
Königsmarck entered the city and captured its castle.6
A map of Europe pre-Peace of Westphalia, with the territorial claims of the Holy Roman Empire
1 https://www.britannica.com/event/Peace-of-Westphalia
2 http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/treaty-westphalia
3 https://www.britannica.com/event/Peace-of-Westphalia
4 Ibid.
5 https://www.geni.com/projects/Thirty-Years-War-1618-1648/11799
6 Ibid.
A map of Europe post- Peace of Westphalia
As these maps show, the Holy Roman Empire lost massive chunks of land
through the treaties. As well, these maps indicate the geographical location of the
countries involved in the Peace of Westphalia. Thus, it is clear the situation the Holy
Roman Empire was in. Surrounded on multiple fronts by invaders, they agreed to
the treaties in order to cut their losses.
Date
Event
800
Charlemagne crowned by the Pope as
king of the romans, thereby creating the
foundation of the Holy Roman Empire
1356
Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV. This
event decisively marked the end of papal
influence in the Holy Roman Empire and
elevated the princes of the empire to
power
1438
Albert II of Habsburg elected to the
throne of Holy Roman Emperor
1440
Frederick III, cousin of Albert II, becomes
Emperor of the holy roman empire. Using
their political influence from their base in
Austria, they gained power over the other
princes in the Holy Roman Empire,
establishing Habsburg dominance by
perpetually being elected as Emperor
1450
Holy Roman Empire at this point had
become incredibly fragmented due to the
territorial ambitions of the princes, with
25 major secular principalities, 90
archbishoprics, bishoprics and imperial
abbeys, and over 100 independent
counties
1517
Martin Luther releases his famous 95
theses, effectively denouncing the catholic
church’s practice of selling plenary
indulgences
1521
Diet of Worms occurs where Martin
Luther faces charges of heresy by the
Pope.
1536
John Calvin publishes Systematic Theology:
1555
Peace of Augsburg signed which allowed
princes the freedom to choose
lutheranism or catholicism in their land,
and allowed dissenters to emigrate
1598
French Protestants granted tolerance by
Henry IV in the Edict of Nantes
1609
Rudolf II, King of Bohemia, issues the
letter of majesty, which ensured
Bohemia’s largely protestant estates
religious freedom
Institutes of the Christian Religion.
1617
Decision made that Ferdinand would
succeed his brother Matthias as Holy
Roman Emperor by the Hapsburg rulers
in Spain
1617
Ferdinand becomes king of Bohemia by
the Bohemian Diet
1617
Roman Catholic officials in Bohemia close
protestant chapels, violating the letter of
majesty
1618
Defenestration of Prague, where two
catholic imperial officials were thrown
out of a window in Prague castle by an
assembly of Bohemian Protestant nobles.
Marks the beginning of the Thirty Years
War
1619
Protestant diet of Bohemia deposes of
Ferdinand
1619
Ferdinand crowned Holy Roman Emperor
1620
Ferdinand and his allies crush a
protestant army in the battle of White
Mountain
1625
Denmark enters the war on the side of the
lutherans
1630
Swedish mercenary army subsidised by
France and many protestant German
states makes advancements against the
Holy Roman Empire
1634
Spanish army intervenes at the Battle of
Nordlingen to help defeat the main
Swedish army
1635
Holy Roman Empire and the Electorate of
Saxony, who represented most of the
states in the Holy Roman Empire, sign the
Peace of Prague
1635
France declares war on Spain
1636
France declares war on the Holy Roman
Empire
1643
Denmark intervenes again in the war on
the side of the Holy Roman Empire
1643
French army defeat the Spanish army in
the battle of Rocroi
1644
Peace talks commence
1645
Swedish army defeat the imperialists at
Jankau
1648
Peace of Westphalia signed, ending the
thirty years war and the eighty years war
Understanding how the Holy Roman Empire was structured is essential to
properly understanding the objectives and nuances of this topic, as well as
understanding the historical context of the Thirty Years’ War. The Holy Roman
Empire had been established by the coronation of the Frankish king Charlemagne by
Pope Leo III to restore what they saw as the Roman Empire.7 The Holy Roman
Empire’s land claims were massive and consisted of an incredibly diverse set of
languages and people, having a population of 15 million in 1500. By 1512, the
Empire spanned from France in the West to Hungary in the East, from the alps in the
south reaching all the way up to the Baltic and North Seas. With that being said, in
the millennium that the Empire existed at no point did it have clearly defined
borders.8
As the years went by, the Holy Roman Empire developed a mangled and
mutilated legal and political structure that attempted to combine aspects from
several different types of governments. The central figure in the Empire was the
Holy Roman Emperor, whose position was characterized with Roman ideas of
universal, divine rule, Germanic traditions of electing rulers, and the characteristics
of a feudal overlord.9
7 http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/german-history/holy-roman-empire
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
The Empire was divided up into many different territories that were ruled by
their own governments.10 The territories were mostly autonomous, however they
were still subjects of the Emperor and the Imperial government. While originally,
the Emperor was crowned by the Pope, the Golden Bull of 1356 decreed that the
throne of the Holy Roman Emperor was to be elected by seven prince-electors. The
Emperor held to the throne for his entire life.11 The Golden Bull explicitly named the
electors, which were to be: the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Cologne, the
Archbishop of Trier, the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke
of Saxony, and the Margrave of Brandenburg.12 By the mid 1400s, the throne of the
Holy Roman Emperor was dominated by the House of Habsburg, an influential and
politically powerful family who would use their influence to perpetually win the title
of Emperor.
While at its origins, the Holy Roman Empire was a legitimate state with a
central authority that governed its land claims, as time progressed the authority of
the Emperor diminished more and more.13 By the mid 1500s, the Empire
transformed into an entity that resembled less like an actual state, and more like a
loose confederation of the different princes of Germany and their lands. The
Emperor, while having huge
prestige, did not hold much actual
power.
The main authority that the
Empire had was in the Reichstag,
which represented all of the
numerous duchies, princedoms,
bishoprics, and counties that made
up the Empire. The Emperor
played the role of an arbiter that
settled the interregional disputes
and representing German
interests as a whole.14 The
numerous German lords had their
own autonomy to a large extent.
The Emperor was prohibited from
interfering from the affairs of
individual states so long as they
continued to follow imperial law.15
He had powers in the executive, judicial, legislative branches of government as well
10 http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Holy_Roman_Empire#Government
11 Ibid.
12 http://research.omicsgroup.org/index.php/Golden_Bull_of_1356#Background
13 https://www.britannica.com/place/Holy-Roman-Empire/Empire-and-papacy
14 http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/hre.htm
15 Ibid.
as international affairs of his smaller fiefdoms. In the executive branch, the Emperor
would enforce the laws and rulings of the Empire, although this was usually instead
carried out by the local rulers.
In the legislature, the Emperor had the power to propose, approve and
promulgate laws, however he could not levy any taxes without the approval of the
reichstag. The Emperor was the highest judge in all of his lands, however this was
only in very limited circumstances. The Emperor alone represented the Holy Roman
Empire internationally, but his ability to actually take actions on other nations such
as making war, peace, and treaties was very limited. In short, while the Emperor
was technically the head of state of all of the lands in the Holy Roman Empire, the
local rulers were more or less autonomous from any kind of centralized rule.16 The
continued existence of the Empire was less about being an effective governing state
with stability, but if anything was merely the result of tradition and the fear of the
conflict of interests that would arise if the planning for the abolition of the Empire
was to occur.17 18
The Protestant reformation made the many Princes of the Empire defensive
of their rights and furthered their autonomy. Yet the Habsburgs continued to deny
the facts, and despite the impossibility of Empire they seeked to empower
themselves, wanting more control over their various principalities. In the Diet of
Worms in 1521, the Holy Roman Empire Charles V opened up with “the Empire
from of old had not many masters, but one, and it is our intention to be that one.”19
While the extent of the Roman Empire was vast, the actual influence that they had
over their dominions was weak. After accepting the Peace of Augsburg in 1555,
which allowed princes to choose whether Lutheranism or Catholicism was to prevail
in their lands and allowed dissenters to emigrate,20 the Empire’s authority was
again challenged. The German lands were split into two distinct, religious camps.
16 Ibid.
17 https://www.britannica.com/place/Holy-Roman-Empire/Empire-and-papacy
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/german-history/peace-augsburg
The Reichskammergericht, or the imperial chamber court, was created at the
Worms Reichstag of 1495.21 The court would eventually become the main court of
the Empire and the enforcer of Imperial law. It consisted of 16 assessors which
would be changed to 50 in 1648.22 The Judge, two presidents and one assessor were
all appointed by the Holy Roman Emperor, with the remainder of the assessors
being appointed by the electors of the Holy Roman Empire.23 The judge was to be a
noble with the rank of baron or higher, and half the assessors were to be noblemen,
with the other half to be practitioners of law. Once the members were appointed,
they could not be removed other than by the court itself.
The other high court was the Reichshofrath, or known in english as the Aulic
Council. It was established by Maximilian I in 1518, to help him with the direct
administration of justice. During the establishment of the imperial chamber court,
Maximilian I did not like the court as it took power away from the hands of the
Emperor.24 Unlike the imperial chamber court, the aulic council was completely
controlled by the Holy Roman Emperor. The president, vice-president and 16
councillors of the court were all appointed by the Emperor. The court had two
central functions, as a council to the state and as a high court whose jurisdiction
overlapped with the imperial council. The two courts had essentially the same
jurisdiction, it was up to the plaintiff to decide where they wanted to file their suit.
In 1648, the Reichshofrath was made equal in standing to the Reichskammergericht.
The Imperial courts was the source of huge controversy and tensions in the
Holy Roman Empire. Many German princes questioned the court's ability to make
fair decisions in cases where a Protestant and a Catholic was involved. In their
experience, the Imperial courts were not fair and would be heavily biased towards
Catholic parties. Both courts were dominated by Catholics, due to four out of seven
electors being Catholic and only three out of seven electors being Protestant.
Because of this, discontent rose about the fairness and nature of these courts.
Reforming the Imperial court system would be a necessary step in order to make
the Holy Roman Empire continue to function.
The Thirty Years War had radically changed the balance of power in Europe.
France became the dominant power in the west, and Sweden in the Baltics.25
Germany, instead of becoming united, was more divided than ever. While the
Princes were able to gain more autonomy, the cost at which this came was the
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2004205
continued division amongst the German states. The gains and losses of the German
princes were decided by the main powers at the treaty: Sweden, France and Austria.
The main obstacle for a general peace following 1635 were the ambitions of
the two emerging powers: France and Sweden. Sweden vied for financial and
territorial concessions for their losses in the war, while France hoped for an even
more ambitious prospect: the reduction of Austrian and Spanish Habsburg power.26
The tension between the powers were great during the actual Peace of
Westphalia. Austria believed that it was France’s intention to destroy all remainder
of influence from the Holy Roman Empire by reducing centralized power and
granting autonomy to the princes, as well as trying to meddle in the affairs of the
state by trying to replace existing Imperial institutions with French ones.27
However, these reforms were unpopular with the German princes. While the princes
valued autonomy and strived for an Emperor that was limited in power, they still
saw the importance in the continued existence of the Holy Roman Empire as a
means to defend themselves from French and Swedish dominance.28
What had to be done after the Thirty Years War was establish the true
powers and limitations of the Emperor in terms of government, and more clearly
define how much power he would have over his individual german princes. While
the princes always had some form of autonomy, the extent of this was not always
clear. At its time in 1648, the role of the Emperor was in a sort of limbo between an
authoritarian monarchy similar to current countries such as Saudi Arabia, or in a
mere figurehead such as the current day Elizabeth II of England. Furthermore, in
bodies such as the Reichstag, the Emperor’s power may appear to have been
extensive, however in practice the Emperor’s authority in these bodies were limited
only to specific situations.
The actual possibilities to how delegates want to address this topic are
endless. They can choose to go for completely upholding the status, to completely
changing the political landscape of Europe. Whatever their decisions may be, they
will assuredly have radical effects on Europe.
One of the most radical solutions would be the complete dissolution of the
Holy Roman Empire. This event would occur 150 years after the Peace of
Westphalia during the Napoleonic wars, however at the time this result was
26 http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/treaties-and-alliances/peace-westphalia
27 Ibid.
28 Ibid.
unlikely. The German princes would rather have the protection of the Holy Roman
Empire rather than be dominated by the French and Swedish.
However, the German princes also did not like the Holy Roman Empire, and
constantly was in a struggle against it for their own freedoms. Should there be a way
to ensure German security from foreign powers while not having the Holy Roman
Empire, this option would be especially attractive to the many german princes.
Should delegates choose to go through this route, there are multiple other
considerations that must be made prior to a complete abolition of the Holy Roman
Empire. New borders would need to be drawn and some kind of system would need
to be put in place to ensure the collective security of the newly independent German
states.
Throughout much of European history, the Pope held extraordinary power
over the monarchs of Europe. By the time of the Peace of Westphalia, this power
greatly diminished, and the Pope was no longer consulted by heads of state on how
to conduct their affairs of great importance, such as making war or settling peace.29
A solution that would surely make the Pope happy would be a reunification of
church and state, where religion would once again play a huge role in the affairs of
the Empire. This solution would reverse the trends that were taking place before the
Peace of Westphalia, where most countries were getting progressively more secular.
The strengths to it would be that it would likely be more effective at unifying the
Empire than what is currently present, however it would also create large upheaval
and would likely result in the Empire breaking apart into a catholic and protestant
branches.
Protestant nobles in the Holy Roman Empire were at a disadvantage
compared to their Catholic counterparts. The elector system and the legal systems
in the Holy Roman Empire meant that there would always be a Catholic Emperor
and the courts were biased towards Catholics, for there were 4 Catholic electors and
only 3 Protestant electors. In effect, this ensured constant Catholic domination over
Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire. Making these Imperial institutions more fair
towards both religions would make the Empire function better as it would give the
Imperial institutions more legitimacy from Protestant princes, who at the moment
looked at them in contempt and in distrust.
Granting the Emperor strong power to rule over his German princes would
make the Empire similar to the rising nationstates such as France. Centralization
would make the Empire more powerful on the world stage and allow the Emperor
to effectively govern his subjects. However, this may not be entirely feasible because
29 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Innocent-X
of disunity of the German people, and could just contribute to political strife and
instability.
France and Sweden, hoping to establish their own dominance of europe as
well as supplement any future territorial ambitions, would seek to reduce the power
of the Holy Roman Empire in any way that they could. The Holy Roman Empire was
one of the other great Empires of Europe, and directly prevented France from
conquests to the east. A weak Holy Roman Empire would benefit these two states
the most as it would allow for them to increase their influence in the rest of Europe
without a strong opponent to stop them. These countries would also vie to have
their own influence in German affairs.
The Habsburgs with their weak position after the Thirty Years War would
merely want to secure as much as they can. Primarily, they do not want to have
foreign powers meddling in their affairs. They would also not want to give too many
territorial and monetary concessions. In addition to this, these countries would
want stronger centralization in the Holy Roman Empire.
States which had revolted against their Habsburg rulers would want their
independence recognized by other countries with the assurance of protection from
invasion of other countries. These states would want other countries not to assume
control over them and would want to conduct their own affairs without
interference.
The German princes, while wanting their own autonomy, also saw
importance in the continued existence of the Empire for their collective security.
The princes would want to strike a balance between the complete abolition of the
authority of the Empire and a strong centralized rule.
1. What role should the Holy Roman Empire have in European politics?
2. How functioning is the Holy Roman Empire as it is?
3. What kind of rights and freedoms should be given to the people of the
Empire?
4. How much power should the Empire have? How much power should the
princes have?
5. What kind of government should the Empire have?
6. Is the Holy Roman Empire a country or a union between constituencies?
7. How can we ensure that the Empire would continue to exist? Is its continued
existence beneficial at all?

Ronald Asch, The Thirty Years War: The Holy Roman Empire and Europe,
1618-1648

The Thirty Years War, The Thirty Years War

Joachim Whaley, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, Volume I: Maximilian
I to the Peace of Westphalia, 1490-1648

Joachim Whaley, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire: Volume II: The Peace
of Westphalia to the Dissolution of the Reich, 1648-1806

Peter H. Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire 1495-1806
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