Editing History of Cologne (section)

=== Futile pacification efforts ===
[[File:Duitse troepen verlaten Antwerpen, 2 augustus 1577.jpg|thumb|left|Deserted Kontor: Germans escape from Antwerp (1577)]]
[[File:Vloot van de vier keurvorsten op de Rijn, 1580 Reysiger zeug und munition der vier Churfursten bey Rhein, Coln, Meintz, Trier, und Pfaltz am 28 Augusti Ao. D. 1580 (titel op object) Serie 8 Nederlan, RP-P-OB-78.785-152.jpg|thumb|Watch on the Rhine: Fleet of the Rhenish Electors (1580)]]

The economic region of the Spanish Netherlands, so foundational for Cologne's prosperity, did not come to rest in the 1570s. In 1575, the Spanish king [[Philip II of Spain|Philipp II]] had to declare a state bankruptcy; the Spanish occupation troops of the Netherlands remained without pay. In 1576, they went marauding through Flanders and, looting, wreaked havoc in the city of [[Antwerp]]. This caused proverbial horror as the [[Spanish Fury]] and strengthened the resistance of the Flemings and Dutch against the Spanish crown. In the course of the riots, the newly built [[Oostershuis|Hanseatic Kontor]] in Antwerp was also looted several times. The merchants of Cologne tried in vain to be compensated for the damage; in the following years, the Kontor lost its economic importance.<ref>[https://www.rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de/Persoenlichkeiten/heinrich-sudermann/DE-2086/lido/57c9595c96bad6.60738451 Rhenish History: Heinrich Sudermann]</ref>

The [[Union of Arras]], agreed in January 1579 and followed promptly by the [[Union of Utrecht]], marked the arising separation of the Spanish Netherlands, from which the states of the Netherlands and Belgium would ultimately emerge. The Union of Utrecht, dominated by the Province of Holland, was also joined by almost all the Brabant and Flanders cities. To pacify the disputes in the provinces, which formally still were part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], Emperor [[Rudolf II (HRR)|Rudolf II]], the brother-in-law of the Spanish king, sought a negotiated settlement. The so-called Pacification Day took place in Cologne from April to November 1579, because the imperial city, as a strategically important metropolis, could be accepted as a neutral location and provide the necessary infrastructure for the delegations. The representatives of the Netherlands, the emperor and the Spanish crown were accommodated in the city palaces of Cologne's councillors. The negotiations themselves took place in the City hall called [[Gürzenich City hall|Gürzenich]]. However, the conferences ended without any agreement.<ref>Gérald Chaix: Cologne in the Age of Reformation and Catholic Reform 1512/13-1610, Cologne 2022, p. 243</ref> 
Today, Cologne's Pacification Day is understood as the starting point for the emergence of an independent Dutch state.<ref>Thomas P. Becker: Der Kölner Pazifikationskongress von 1579 und die Geburt der Niederlande, in: Michael Rohrschneider (ed.): Frühneuzeitliche Friedensstiftung in landesgeschichtlicher Perspektive, Cologne 2019, pp. 99-119, here p. 118</ref> How vitally the Dutch disputes affected Cologne's interests got evidence in 1580, when Dutch warships came up the Rhine and advanced as far as Cologne. The coordinated efforts of a fleet of Rhenish electors promptly drove off the invaders.<ref>Gérald Chaix: Cologne in the Age of Reformation and Catholic Reform 1512/13-1610, Cologne 2022, p. 244</ref> Overall, developments were unfavorable to Cologne's economic interests. The unrest severely disrupted Cologne's trade routes to Flanders; in addition, the Dutch were able to control sea access to the Rhine. Both gravely impeded Cologne's trade flows and brought Cologne's trade with England to an almost complete standstill.<ref>Christian Hillen, Peter Rothenhöfer, Ulrich Soénius: Kleine Illustrierte Wirtschaftsgeschichte der Stadt Köln, Cologne 2013, p. 78</ref>