Can you make other countries stop rivalling you?

[Corvus_Alt1]

Just wondering if there was any way I could get a country I'm not rivalling to stop rivalling me. I'm playing as an admittedly large Netherlands, and after improving relations to the max and sharing a rival with them, I am at literally 0 relations with them. Any chance boosting relations with gifts, proclaim guarantee, etc. will make them not hate me as much? Also, does trust have an impact on rival status? Because apparently Austria "doesn't trust (me) to die properly".

[ShadoWwolF]

because of the way the rival system works its unlikely they'll stop rivaling you. nations can only rival other nations around them that are around the same size and strength as them so for a nation like austria there probably arent many other nations for them to rival instead. unless you become big enough that austria cant rival you anymore or if austria becomes small enough

[Pozz]

Originally posted by Super Troll:

no because paradox knows that how real life woks, nations just hated each other forever back then..... oh wait...

France and England ? Just to mention an example. Also it is not called "hated beyond belief" but "rival", you can have a rival you do not directly despise, although due to common objectives, you'd generally have a hard time not being at each other's throat.

[mss73055]

Did you break away from Auntie Austria? Did you take her pet HRE provinces?

[EQCR]

You can vassalize a rival, but it seems unlikely in this case. You can shrink (release vassals) to (not a valid rival) status, again unlikely.

[sr902]

I've played a few Netherlands games, and Austria always ends up making me their rival. I think they just hate the idea that another country in the HRE could be as powerful as they are, which makes sense really. You're probably stuck with it.
If you can get some strong allies and really beat them up in a war, forcing them to release a country or two, maybe they'll get the picture that you're not to be messed with and pick a smaller country as a rival.

[Corvus_Alt1]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yeah, I guess I'm stuck having to bear their animosity for a while, especially since I don't exactly want to get much bigger. Shame really, they would make such a strong ally against France, especially since they've taken most of the Czech provinces already. I was actuually hoping the emperor would make the effort to conquer Hungary, especially considering that they took Moravia and Ratibor from Bohemia. Sigh. Guess I'll have to soften them up the next chance I get, see if I can't force them to return the Polish territories they took from the Commonwealth. Maybe by then the Austrians will get the mission to rule over Hungary.