These 30 years have caused a terrible massacre unequaled: 60% of the population of Central Europe disappeared during the war, which only amplified or create famines, pestilence, epidemics ... This absolute evil has nevertheless resulted (after 30 years!) treaties Westphalia (1648), the fruit of four years of negotiations among 194 sovereign powers: the many Germanic principalities and free cities as large and medium powers.
These treaties represent a major turning point in the history of Europe as well as the Congress of Vienna (1815) and the Treaty of Versailles (1919). They establish a new balance of power. The big winners: Sweden, France consolidates its northern borders and wins Alsace. Spain meanwhile weakened fate of this war which will end for her in 1659 (Peace of the Pyrenees).
These treaties also announce the decomposition of the Holy Empire and the end of the dream of Charles Quin to see a universal Catholic empire. They devote fact religious tolerance. The princes despite the "cuius regio, eius religio" no longer require their peoples religion they have chosen for themselves. It is also the birth of national sentiment, soil nation states and future of modern Europe.
Finally they allow for the security of France to devote to the east of the Rhine a Germanic principalities mosaic without much power. The rise of the Hohenzollern in northern Germany will gradually end that situation pout achieve German unity in 1871 at the expense of the Habsburgs and France. But meanwhile Richelieu political genius in the name of reason of state and the balance of forces had fully paid off. In this respect, it is interesting that a modern day great diplomat, Henry Kissinger, honors our cardinal in his remarkable book "Diplomacy". In his eyes, it is he who invented European diplomacy with precisely these concepts that are the reason of state and the search for balance between the powers.
