Proclamation of the Treaty of Münster

The Thirty Years’ War began in Prague in 1618 while Hollar was still a boy. When the Treaty of Münster brought peace in 1648, Hollar recorded the scene of jubilation in his new home, Antwerp. Few in the crowd gathered in Antwerp’s main square would have anticipated the Treaty’s painful consequences for their city. Once a major commercial centre, Antwerp’s trade was heavily regulated by the treaty. The city’s subsequent decline may be one reason why Hollar returned to London in 1652.

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