November 4, 1576: In Antwerp, Spanish soldiers, having failed to receive their pay, decide to get compensation by sacking the city. The event, known as the Spanish Fury, costs their lives to 7000 civilians and unites the provinces of the Netherlands against Spanish King Philip II's rule, reigniting the revolt that will eventually result in the Netherlands's independence. It also precipitates a major decline in the cloth trade Antwerp was famous for. The city will never completely recover its commercial dominance.