1648 CE: TREATY OF MUNSTER / PEACE OF WESTPHALIA

–ends the Thirty Years War (1618–1648 CE), initially a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, but ultimately a general war involving most of the European powers.

The War is fought mainly in Germany, which is devastated as a consequence.

The Swedish armies alone destroyed 2,000 castles, 18,000 villages and 1,500 towns in Germany.