TREATY OF WESTPHALIA. SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. WHILST the Reformed religion was struggling in Switzerland, France, England, and Scotland, it underwent great vicissitudes in Germany. After many minor conflicts a formidable war broke out, in 1618, between the Protestant Princes of the North, and the Catholic Emperor of Southern Germany, which lasted thirty years. The Protestant Kings of Sweden and Denmark joined in it, as did France towards the close. Cardinal Richelieu, to the amazement of Europe, took the Protestant side against his co-religionists; but he thought it a greater object to break down the military power of Austria than to sustain the Catholic religion. The celebrated Treaty of Westphalia, 1648, put an end to the religious wars of Germany. The parties to this Treaty were France and Sweden, as allies, against the Emperor of Germany. The political and religious state of Europe, as settled by this Treaty, remained undisturbed till 1806, when it was reorganized by Napoleon. This Treaty is memorable, besides, as being the origin of that system of International Law which is now recognized by the civilized world. Buckle thus speaks of it" This celebrated Treaty is remarkable as being the first comprehensive attempt to adjust the conflicting interests of the leading European countries. In this important Treaty, ecclesiastical interests were altogether disregarded, and the contracting parties, instead of, as heretofore, depriving each other of their possessions, took the bolder course of indemnifying themselves at the expense of the Church, and did not hesitate to seize her revenues, and secularize several of her bishoprics.* From this grievous insult, which became a precedent in the public law of Europe, the Spiritual Power "-the Papacy-"has never recovered, and since that period diplomatists have in their official acts neglected religious interests, and have preferred the advocacy of matters relating to the commerce and colonies of their respective countries. The truth of this is confirmed by the fact that the Thirty Years' War, to which this same Treaty put an end, is the last great religious war which has ever been waged; no civilized people during two centuries having thought it worth while to peril their own safety in order to disturb the belief of their neighbours." The Pope was indignant at this Treaty; but he was helpless. Not only had England, Sweden, Denmark, and Northern Germany discarded the Papacy, but even Catholic France under Richelieu had for political motives joined the Protestant League; and the Pope's only ally, the Emperor of Southern Germany, had been defeated. From this shock the Papacy never fully recovered, but gradually declined in political influence, even in the States that retained the Roman religion. By this Treaty France obtanied Metz, Toul, and Verdun, which up to this time had been under the ecclesiastical government of a Bishop, but which were now annexed to France. Thus we see that up to the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Papacy wielded absolute power over the conscience of Europe, with the exception of Russia, where the Greek religion prevailed. The frequent abuse of this power provoked resistance; and during the sixteenth century the Papacy was successively overthrown in England, North Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and part of Switzerland. In the seventeenth century, it was successfully defied in France, where, in the eighteenth century, it was temporarily suppressed by the Revolution. Though restored in the nineteenth century, its Ecclesiastical power was limited by a Concordat. In our own day we have seen the Papacy not only curtailed of some of its sacerdotal immunities in Italy, its birthplace, but utterly stripped of all temporal power. The Roman religion, however, still maintains its hold on the Christian world in spite of the decay of the Papacy. |