Editing Thirty Years' War (section)

== Political consequences ==
[[File:Europe after the Peace of Westphalia, 1648.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|Europe after the Peace of Westphalia, 1648]]

The Peace reconfirmed "German liberties", ending Habsburg attempts to convert the Holy Roman Empire into a centralised state similar to Spain. Over the next 50 years, Bavaria, Brandenburg-Prussia, Saxony and others increasingly pursued their own policies, while Sweden gained a permanent foothold in the Empire. Despite these setbacks, the Habsburg lands suffered less from the war than many others. They also became a far more coherent geographical bloc with the addition of Bohemia, and the restoration of Catholicism throughout their territories.{{Sfn|McMurdie|2014|p=65}}

By laying the foundations of the modern [[nation state]], Westphalia changed the relationship between rulers and ruled, many of whom previously had multiple political and religious allegiances. After 1648, they were now understood to be subject first and foremost to the laws and edicts of their respective state authority, not the claims of any other entity, either religious or secular. This made it easier to levy national forces loyal to the state and its leader; one lesson learned from Wallenstein and the Swedish invasion was the need for their own permanent armies, and German society became far more militarised.{{Sfn|Bonney|2002|pp=89–90}}

For Sweden, the benefits ultimately proved short-lived. Unlike French gains, which were incorporated into France, Swedish territories remained part of the Empire, and they became members of the Lower and Upper Saxon ''kreis''. While this provided both seats and influence in the Imperial Diet, it also brought Sweden into direct conflict with Brandenburg-Prussia and Saxony, their competitors in Pomerania. The income from their German possessions was relatively minor, and although parts of Pomerania remained Swedish until 1815, much of it was ceded to Prussia in 1679 and 1720.{{Sfn|McMurdie|2014|pp=67–68}}

[[File:Pomerania 1653.PNG|thumb|Swedish sovereignty over [[Western Pomerania]] (in blue) was confirmed in 1653, and finally ended only in 1815.]]

France arguably gained more from the conflict than any other power, and by 1648, most of Richelieu's objectives had been achieved. These included separation of the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs, expansion of the French frontier into the Empire, and an end to Spanish military supremacy in northern Europe.{{Sfn|Lee|2001|pp=67–68}} Although the Franco-Spanish war continued until 1659, Westphalia allowed Louis XIV to begin replacing Spain as the predominant European power.{{Sfn|Storrs|2006|pp=6–7}}

While religion remained a divisive political issue in many countries, the Thirty Years' War is arguably the last major [[Continental Europe|European]] conflict where it was a primary driver. Future religious conflicts were either internal, such as the [[Camisards]] revolt in southern France, or relatively minor, like the 1712 [[Toggenburg War]].{{Sfn|Gutmann|1988|pp=752–754}} The war created the outlines of a Europe that persisted until 1815 and beyond, most significantly the nation-state of France, along with the start of a split between Germany and a separate Austro-Hungarian bloc.{{Sfn|McMurdie|2014|pp=67–68}}