The following is an encore presentation of Everything Everywhere Daily.

In 1648, Europe saw the end of two of the most horrific wars that had ever been seen on the continent up until that point.

The treaties which ended these conflicts established an international order which overturned the

system that had existed for centuries and established a new order which in many respects still exist today.

Learn more about the peace of Westphalia and how its legacy can still be felt 350 years later

on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. To understand the peace of Westphalia came about, we first have to understand the wars which necessitated the peace.

If you aren't a student of medieval European history many of the wars can get really

confusing. There were tons of kingdoms, principalities, and duchies, many of which

no longer exist anymore.

And there were tons of kings, often with the same few names, Henry Louis Charles,

and the wars were often named based on how long they went.

There was a seven-year war, the nine years war, the 30 years war, the 80 years war, the

100 years war, and the second 100 years war, just to name a few of them.

The two particular wars in question were the 30 years war and the 80 years war. The 80 years wars

also known as the War of Dutch Independence. The modern day countries of

Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg fought against the Habsburg Spanish monarchy which controlled the region.

This war was a combination of a distant monarch who was far away in Spain and one of religion.

Spain was a staunchly Catholic country and various Protestant denominations had taken hold in the Lowland countries.

Over the years the war took probably about 200,000 lives on both sides.

The other war which was ravaging the continent and which was much more devastating was the 30 years war.

If you aren't familiar with the 30 years war, it was probably the most costly war in Europe before the 20th century,

even surpassing the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century.

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