Mapping Pre-Westphalia Europe: Military Alliances, Political Settlements, and Alignments During Armed Conflicts, 1528 to 1648

Abstract

This article introduces two new datasets detailing shifts in alliances and alignments in Europe throughout the century prior to the Peace of Westphalia. The datasets identify a list of key actors in the European sphere during this time period and introduce two ways of tracking diplomatic shifts. The Formal Military Alliances and Political Settlements dataset (fmaps) lists all formal treaties and agreements reached between major actors in the European sphere that codified a form of alliance among them and for which a start and end year could be identified. The Alignments During Armed Conflicts Dataset (adacs) lists parties’ alignments during the period’s major armed conflicts. Both datasets were compiled through review of available literature about diplomatic ententes and armed conflicts throughout the period from 1528 to 1648. While the article outlines a few potential weaknesses of the datasets, the authors demonstrate their value for historical and social science research, as well as network analysis.