The wide range of interests and powers that gathered at the two Westphalian cities each tell a fascinating story. Whether it was the two French agents that loathed one another; the Dutch tradition of representing each of the seven provinces; Swedish desires to legalise its control over Pomerania; Johan Oxenstierna's frequently drunken state, when he wasn't insisting on trumpets blasting to announce his presence; the Franco-Swedish request on having all Imperial estates represented at Westphalia, regardless of their size; French plans to court Bavaria; the Emperor's plan to prevent the smaller states from attending, and the confusion over exactly what religious settlement would be pushed for - all of these issues made the negotiations dynamic, unpredictable, and occasionally hilarious. Join me as we cover their early phase, while the war carried on in the background.**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here5) Researcher? Student? Podcaster? Use Perlego to access a massive online library of books, and get a week for free! Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.