Amsterdam citizens celebrating the Peace of Munster, 1648, painting by Bartholomeus van der Helst. On 30 January 1648 the war ended with the Treaty of Munster between Spain and the Netherlands. In Munster on 15 May 1648, the parties exchanged ratified copies of the treaty. This treaty was part of the European-scale Peace of Westphalia that also ended the Thirty Years War. In the treaty, the power of balance in western Europe was readjusted to the actual geopolitical reality. This means that de jure the Dutch Republic was recognised as an Independent State and retained control over the territories that were conquered in the later stages of the war.