The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen ('; german: Friede von Nimwegen) were a series of
treaties signed in the Dutch city of
Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...
, Spain,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...
, Sweden,
Denmark-Norway, the
Prince-Bishopric of Münster
The Prince-Bishopric of Münster (german: Fürstbistum Münster; Bistum Münster, Hochstift Münster) was a large ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western L ...
, and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
. The most significant of the treaties was the first, which established peace between France and the Dutch Republic and placed the northern border of France very near
its modern position.
Background
The
Franco-Dutch War of 1672–78 was the source of all the other wars that were ended formally at Nijmegen. Separate peace treaties were arranged for conflicts like the
Third Anglo-Dutch War and the
Scanian War, but all of them had been directly caused by and form part of the Franco-Dutch War. England initially participated in the war on the French side but withdrew in 1674, after the
Treaty of Westminster. The
Electorate of Cologne left the war in 1674, while the
Prince-Bishopric of Münster
The Prince-Bishopric of Münster (german: Fürstbistum Münster; Bistum Münster, Hochstift Münster) was a large ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western L ...
switched sides from France to join the anti-French coalition that year.
Denmark-Norway also joined the anti-French side in 1675, primarily fighting against Sweden.
At the end of the Franco-Dutch and Scanian Wars, these were the belligerents:
;Anti-French coalition:
*
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...
*
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
(including
Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands ( Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the ...
)
*
Denmark-Norway
*
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
:
**
Brandenburg-Prussia
**
Prince-Bishopric of Münster
The Prince-Bishopric of Münster (german: Fürstbistum Münster; Bistum Münster, Hochstift Münster) was a large ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western L ...
**
Principality of Lüneburg (Celle)
**
Duchy of Lorraine
**
and others
;France and allies
*
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...
*
Kingdom of Sweden
Treaties
Peace negotiations had begun as early as 1676, but nothing was agreed to and signed before 1678. Most treaties were concluded in Nijmegen, therefore the sum of all documents is known as the 'Treaties of Nijmegen'. Some of the countries involved signed peace deals elsewhere, such as the
Treaty of Celle (Sweden made peace with
Lüneburg (Celle)),
Treaty of Saint-Germain (France and Sweden made peace with Brandenburg) and
Treaty of Fontainebleau (France dictated peace between Sweden and Denmark-Norway).
Terms
The Franco–Dutch War ended with a treaty which gave France control over the
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
of the
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...
.
France also gained further territories of the
Spanish Netherlands
Spanish Netherlands ( Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the ...
, adding to those it had annexed under the 1659
Peace of the Pyrenees and 1668
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. These included the town of
Saint-Omer with the remaining northwestern part of the former Imperial
County of Artois; the lands of
Cassel,
Aire and
Ypres
Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality ...
in southwestern
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
; the
Bishopric of Cambrai; and the towns of
Valenciennes and
Maubeuge in the southern
County of Hainaut.
In turn, French King
Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
ceded the occupied town of
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
and the
Principality of Orange to the Dutch stadtholder
William III. The French forces withdrew from several occupied territories in northern Flanders and
Hainaut.
Emperor
Leopold I retained the captured fortress of
Philippsburg but had to accept the French occupation of the towns of
Freiburg (until 1697) and
Kehl
Kehl (; gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Kaal) is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg, with which it shares some municipal servicesfor exa ...
(until 1698) on the right bank of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
.
The treaties did not result in a lasting peace.
Culture
Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote a
Te Deum
The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...
for this occasion. The
prelude of the Te Deum is also known as the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
theme.
See also
*
Louis XIV Victory Monument
References
External links
Scan of the Franco-Dutch treaty (10 Aug 1678, in French, IEG Mainz)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treaties of Nijmegen
1678 treaties
1679 treaties
1678 in Europe
1679 in Europe
Peace treaties of the Ancien Régime
Nijmegen, Treaties of
Peace treaties of Spain
Peace treaties of Denmark
Nijmegen
Treaties of the Swedish Empire
Treaties of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Treaties of the Spanish Empire
1678 in the Dutch Republic
1679 in the Dutch Republic
1678 in France
1679 in France
1678 in Spain
1679 in Sweden
1678 in the Holy Roman Empire
1679 in the Holy Roman Empire
History of Nijmegen
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor