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Cologne War Prelude (1570s)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1570–1580

In the 1570s, sectarian conflict in the Electorate of Cologne escalated, laying groundwork for the Cologne War (1583–1588, the Cologne Succession War…

Timeline

  1. 1570–1576Rhineland · Holy Roman EmpireAgainst the backdrop of the Dutch Revolt and weakening enforcement of the imperial religious peace (Peace of Augsburg, 1555), friction between Catholic and Protestant forces in the Electorate of Cologne grew, and princes on both banks of the Rhine stepped up military preparations.
  2. 1577Cologne · Electorate of CologneGebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, with the support of Pope Gregory XIII, was elected Archbishop of Cologne and Elector; his later conversion to Calvinism and attempt to retain his electoral dignity directly triggered a succession dispute.
  3. 1578–1580Electorate of Cologne · Electorate of CologneErnest of Bavaria allied with Catholic princes such as Trier and Mainz, while Protestant princes supported Gebhard; both sides contested control of fortresses and towns, and the prelude to the Cologne War fully unfolded in the late 1570s.

Sources