The 1600s were a dangerous time and the economy went down he toilet for a fair while. The 30 Years War, along wih many others, ravaged Germany and destroyed up to half the population and much of their land, leaving the survivors incredibly poor. Gold was also devalued a huge amount, so merchants and others who owned little objects of value and mostly gold and silver were falling into povery. Gold and Silver were being transported to Europe in huge amounts, devaluing both. Many of the people in power also started giving out fake cash to mercenaries, including paying them and then sending them as far away as possible to induce inflation into other states, causing everyone to suffer.