Editing Cambrai (section)

===Early Modern era===
[[File:Maison des Canonniers Cambrai.JPG|thumb|right|The "gunners' house" in Cambrai is an example of 17th-century Flemish architecture]]
[[File:Map of Cambrai 1710.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Plan of Cambrai in 1710|Plan of Cambrai in 1710]]

As the economic centre of northern Europe moved away from [[Bruges]], the area became poorer, with an associated period of cultural decline.{{cn|date=January 2024}} However, the city's neutrality and its position between the possessions of the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg Empire]] and [[France]] made it the venue of several international negotiations, including the [[League of Cambrai]], an alliance engineered in 1508 by [[Pope Julius II]] against the [[Republic of Venice]], concluding in the {{Interlanguage link multi|Treaty of Cambrai (1508)|fr|3=Traité de Cambrai|lt=Treaty of Cambrai}}.{{cn|date=January 2024}} The alliance collapsed in 1510 when the Pope allied with Venice against his former ally [[France]]. The conflict is also referred to as the [[War of the League of Cambrai]] and lasted from 1508 to 1516. Cambrai was also the site of negotiations in 1529, concluding in the [[Paix des Dames]], which led to France's withdrawal from the [[War of the League of Cognac]].{{cn|date=January 2024}}

In 1595, the city was taken by the Spanish in the eighth and last [[French Wars of Religion]]{{cn|date=February 2025}}.<!---probably returned in a treaty in 1598 but can't locate details right now-->

In December 1623, the community of nuns of the [[English Benedictine Congregation]] was founded at Cambrai.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Gascoigne, Catherine (1601–1676), abbess of Cambrai|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-68225|access-date=2021-02-16|year=2014|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/68225|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|last1=Rhodes|first1=J. T.}}</ref> Expelled in 1793 as a result of the French Revolution, its successor community in 1838 was [[Stanbrook Abbey]], near [[Malvern, Worcestershire|Malvern]] and later [[Wass, North Yorkshire|Wass]] in Yorkshire.

In 1630, [[Cardinal Richelieu|Richelieu]], wishing to counter the power of the Emperor and Spain, renewed the alliance of France with the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]]. The main effort of France had to focus on the [[Spanish Netherlands]], and a sharing plan was established with the Dutch, with France to receive the Hainaut, Cambrésis, Artois, a large part of Flanders and Luxembourg and the County of Namur.<ref>Pierrard, 1978, pp.207–208</ref> [[Thirty Years' War#French intervention and continued Swedish participation (1635–1648)|War]] was declared against Spain in 1635: It was followed by a [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)|long series of wars]] which, compounded by subsistence and epidemics, caused crises which would bruise the [[Cambrésis]].<ref group=b name="Trenard145">pp.144–145</ref>

[[Cardinal Mazarin|Mazarin]] tried unsuccessfully, in 1649, to seize the city, which was being besieged by [[Henri, Count of Harcourt|Henri de Lorraine-Harcourt]] and the [[Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne|Vicomte de Turenne]]. A Spanish regiment, which came from [[Bouchain]], succeeded in entering the city and the siege was lifted. In 1657, the Vicomte de Turenne captured Cambrai. Again 4,000 horsemen under the command of [[Louis, Grand Condé|Condé]], in the service of the Spain, manage to penetrate, and Turenne abandoned the city.<ref group=b>pp.145–146</ref>

In 1666, in the greatest secrecy, [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] prepared new conquests by making plans of the Spanish fortifications, and then began the [[War of Devolution]]. The [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]] from 1668 allowed the [[Kingdom of France]] to obtain a large number of strongholds, but Cambrai was not a part of them, nor were [[Bouchain]], [[Valenciennes]] or [[Condé-sur-l'Escaut]].

====The annexation by France====
In 1672, [[Franco-Dutch War|hostilities]] resumed against the Protestant Republic of the Netherlands and continued in the following years. In 1676, [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], in an effort to "safeguard the tranquility of his borders for ever" ("''assurer à jamais le repos de ses frontières''"), focused most of his efforts against Spain and occupied [[Condé-sur-l'Escaut|Condé]] and [[Bouchain]]. On 17 March 1677, the French troops [[Siege of Valenciennes (1676–77)|stormed Valenciennes]] and moved toward Cambrai, the strongest place of the Netherlands,<ref group=b>p.147</ref> which was reached on 20 March.<ref>Pierrard, 1978, p.217</ref> On 22 March, Louis XIV was in the city in person.<ref group=b>p.149</ref> On 2 April, the French invested in a part of the place. By 5 April, the city surrendered, given the same benefits as Lille in 1667,<ref group="b" name="p.150"/> but the Spanish garrison took refuge in the [[citadel]] and the siege continued until 17 April. After [[Siege of Cambrai (1677)|29 days of siege]] the king made his entry into the city, on 19 April, Easter Monday.<ref group=b>p.151</ref> Louis XIV named the Marquis de Cesen as governor, and appointed 14 new [[Alderman|aldermen]] while keeping the same [[Prévôt|provost]].