Prisoner of war the custody of a person, then the responsibility was on the individual. The freeing of prisoners was highly recommended as a charitable act. The 1648 Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War, established the rule that prisoners of war should be released without ransom at the end of hostilities and that they should be allowed to return to their homelands. There also evolved the right of "parole", French for "discourse", in which a captured officer surrendered his sword and gave his word as a gentleman in exchange for privileges. If he swore not to escape, he could gain
Treaty of Madrid (1670) Treaty of Madrid (1670) The Treaty of Madrid (also known as the Godolphin Treaty) adopted in July 1670 was a treaty between England and Spain 'for the settlement of all disputes in America '.<ref name="SP 108/470"></ref> The treaty officially ended the war begun in 1654 in the Caribbean, in which England had conquered Jamaica. The treaty was highly favourable to England, as its ownership of territories in the Caribbean Sea was confirmed by Spain. The Anglo-Spanish war had begun in late 1654; in Europe the conflict ended with the Treaty of the Pyrenees (between France and Spain) and Charles II's