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Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of treaties signed between January and October 1648 by the major European powers, putting an end to the Thirty Years' War between the Kingdom of France, the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden and their respective allies as well as the Eighty Years' War between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Spain. By establishing defined borders and recognizing the sovereignty of the states involved, the treaties served as a basis for the development of international relations. -
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht put an end in April 1713 to the war opposing the royal House of France against Great-Britain and the Dutch Republic in the Spanish War of Succession (1701-1714). Internal problems however remained in Spain, for example the question of the of Catalonia, a region that had turned against Felipe V and whose capital, Barcelona, was sieged until the September 11th 1714, a date still remembered through Catalonia's National Day and its will for independence. -
Beginning of the French Revolution
The French Revolution was a social uprising that changed the political face of France. From the opening of the Estates-General, previous version of the French National Assembly, on May 5th 1789 until 1799, France will experience political and social reformation as well as war against its European neighbours and internal royalist movements. This period of time marks a regime shift from the "Ancien Régime" characterized by absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. -
Treaty of Constantinople
Ratified in the same year by the London Protocol, the Treaty of Constantinople puts an end to the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire. This war is one of the first significant examples of international cooperation because of the implication of the people in it. Through the writings of Lord Byron and others, a sort of "international sovereignty" emerges, a form of "United States of Europe" as Victor Hugo will say in 1849 at the International Peace Congress in Paris. -
Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907
The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 were among the first formal statements of the laws of war and war crimes in international law. It is therefore also one of the first instances of international cooperation where Europe's major powers (as well as nations from other continents) limit the extent of their sovereignty. -
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN. It was signed in San Francisco on June 26th 1945. This supranational organization bounds to all of its members, through this constituent treaty, to make its interest prevail over any other treaty obligations. It is therefore another final step taken by European nations towards this "international sovereignty through supranational organizations" concept that will take more and more importance through the 20th century.
