admin on 28 Mar 2007
History
The history of Brussels:
Image of Emperor Otto of the Holy Roman Empire
The Foundation of the City – Brussels belonged to Lotharingia. which Emperor Otto of the Holy Roman Empire divided into Upper and Lower Lotharingia in AD 959. In 977, his son Otto II entrusted Lower Lotharingia (the region bounded by the Meuse, Champagne and Scheldt) to a duke who was a descendant of Charlemagne, Charles of France. The duke set up his castrum in Brussels c 977-79 and this is the official date of the founding of the city although, in those days. it was nothing more than a sort of county. The geographical position of the settlement on the River Senne, on the largest of the three islands. Saint-Gery, was to lead to the development of its role as a military stronghold of some economic importance. It also ensured that the settlement was in a position of strength compared to the County of Flanders. Although. on the death of Charles of France’s son in 1005, it was Count Lambert I of Louvain who inherited Brussels. and thereafter the House of Louvain governed it for some 400 years.
The Ducal Fortress – Lambert II’s role in the history of the city was of major importance because he moved the fortress to the Coudenberg (now Place Royale) and probably took the decision to have town walls erected. This construction project was completed by his successor, Henry II. In 1106, Godfrey I was granted the title of Duke of Lower Lotharingia; from 1190 the counts of Louvain were referred to as dukes of Brabant. Godfrey I introduced the hereditary charge of Castellan Cie military guardian of the castle) and the function of amman or mayor. It was also in the early years of the 12C that the town enjoyed an initial period of economic expansion, encouraged by the newly developing cloth industry.
After a period of instability, indeed of violence, the town’s middle classes took a firm hold on the town’s affairs and began to lay claim to privileges and franchises. In 1229, Henry I granted Brussels its first written charter. By then, Lotharingia was something of a historical oddity, the emperor had abandoned Brabant. and the town was gradually moving ahead of Louvain. Brussels became a trading centre which benefited from the breakdown of trading relations between Flanders and England on the one hand and, on the other, from the decisive victory won by Duke John I in 1288 over Reinald of Guelders. The victory ensured a link between Brabant and the Rhine and led to the control of the trade routes linking Bruges. the largest port on the North Sea coast, and Cologne, the most powerful trading centre in Germany.
Painting of The Triumphant return of the Flemish people from the famous Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302)
The Expansion of the Town and Development of the Guilds – In the 14C, trades and crafts gained their independence. The famous Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302). at which the Flemish people inflicted a crushing defeat on Philip the Fair’s French cavalry, finally made the craftsmen and urban militia aware of their political clout. In Brussels, a popular revolt broke out in 1303 against the dynasties (wealthy middle-class families) who controlled the town’s economy. The main event, however, took place in 1356 after the town was occupied by Louis de Male, Count of Flanders, during his dispute with Duchess Jeanne and her husband, Wenceslas, regarding their respective rights to inherit the duchy. Assisted by the people of Brussels, and in particular by the butchers from the streets around Grand-Place. the patrician leader, Everard ‘t Serclaes routed the Flemish troops. When Jeanne returned, swearing an oath of loyalty to the charter of liberties known as the Joyeuse Entrée (a charter laying down the rights and duties of princes and their subjects), crafts were given official recognition and guild members became more closely involved with political life. Despite these periods of public disorder, the 14C was a prosperous time owing to the success of the cloth industry across Europe as a whole. The town underwent demographic expansion and building began outside the town walls, especially along the roads leading into the town where suburbs began to spring up. The events of 1356 led to the hasty construction (1357-1379) of a second town wall which encircled the area of town protected by 8km/5mi of ramparts with seven fortified gateways. This pentagonal expansion is still evident in Brussels city centre today.
Towards the end of the century, the cloth industry entered a slump as a result of competition from England. Moreover. the political climate was distinctly unhealthy during the first few years of the 15C. The consequence of this twofold situation was a revolt by craftsmen in 1421. From then on. the town was managed by seven aldermen (one per dynasty), six counsellors (representing the crafts), four receivers and two burgomasters. This form of management lasted until 1795.
Painting of Duke Philip the Good
Burgundian Splendour – In 1430, Philip of Saint-Pol died without an heir. Brabant then became part of the Burgundian provinces under the control of Duke Philip the Good, who had a large number of official residences but who spent most of his time in Dijon. He instigated a policy of openness which met with hostility from the craftsmen who had been burdened with high levels of taxation since the beginning of the century. Industrial activity went into a decline but the town nevertheless became a major administrative centre within the Duke’s vast complex territory and it sought to enter the Duke’s good graces by increasing the number of new prestigious buildings. Under Mary of Burgundy, Charles the Bold’s daughter, Brussels finally became the capital of the very rich Burgundian state and luxury crafts enjoyed a boom (altarpieces, tapestries, illuminated books and manuscripts, gold and silverware, leather etc).The development was based, of course, on the presence of the Court but it was also encouraged by the incessant coming-and-going of ambassadors, noblemen and travellers. It
Decadence during the Days of the First Habsburgs – The politics of splendour had
Louis XI of France was an expensive business. Currency was devalued, prices rocketed,
Painting of Charles V of
Finding Favour with Charles V – Charles of
Revolt against Spain – When Charles V abdicated, he gave his Austrian possessions to his brother, Ferdinand I, and his Spanish possessions and the Netherlands to his son. Philip II. This was a tragedy for the Netherlands.
Heresy, which had already gained a foothold among the misery and abject poverty of the working classes, began to spread through the Reformation which appeared in Brussels in the guise of Calvinism. At the same time, opposition to the tyrannical policies of Philip II began to gather momentum and it found its leader in William of Orange. a prince who had been brought up in Brussels and had been one of Charles V’s proteges. This political and moral opposition led to the Noblemen’s Compromise. In 1566. their resistance was given the backing of the ordinary townsfolk and violent clashes occurred throughout the town. In the following year, Philip II responded to the rebellion by sending in the Duke of Alba, Fernando Alvarez of Toledo, who set up a Conseil des Troubles (Commission of Civil Unrest) also known as the Conseil du Sang (Commission of Blood) because of the pillaging and numerous executions that it instigated. Belgian schoolchildren all know about the execution of the counts of Egmont and de Homes, one of the main events in the history of the nation. The violence of the Inquisition was powerless in the face of the rebellion and the Reformation. In 1577, William of Orange, nicknamed William the Silent, made a triumphant entrance into the state capital which was governed by the Calvinists until 1585. Acting on the orders of Philip II, Duke Alessandro Farnese of Parma finally captured the town. He gave even greater impetus to his victory by granting a general amnesty to the townspeople and by promising to uphold the town’s privileges. Philip ll’s authority was re-established and this paved the way for the triumph of the Counter Reformation at a time when the very Catholic Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella became the sovereigns of the Netherlands.
Religious Fervour – At the dawn of the 17C, Brussels was invaded by religious Orders. There were Apostolics, Augustinian friars, Brigittines. Capuchins, Carmelites, Jesuits, Minim Brothers, Oratorians etc, all of them forming large communities. This was also the century of censorship and control by an all-powerful Church. People could not find work if they were not Roman Catholics. Meanwhile, further communities of Apostolics. Ursulines. Visitandines and English Dominicans arrived and settled near the town hall. This religious fervour was accompanied by a period of relative calm since the Archduke and his spouse had been successful in guaranteeing the prosperity of Brussels. Yet this period of peace was to be short-lived; it ended with the death of Archduke Albert in 1621.
Picture of Marechal de Villeroy
Threats and Destruction from France – Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand governed in the name of his brother, King Philip IV of Spain. and was respected by all. He had to withstand pressure from King Louis XIII of France who had decided to invade the Netherlands. encouraged by the anti-Spanish policies of Richelieu and, later, Mazarin. Further campaigns were launched during the reign of Louis XIV who came in person to inspect the recent reinforcement of the second town wall before laying siege to Maastricht in 1673. Incursions became increasingly numerous in the last quarter of the 17C until the Sun King finally decided to bombard Brussels, knowing that its defences were weak. His aim was to draw off the Dutch and English troops besieging the French forces entrenched in the citadel of Namur. As a result of the war recommended by Louvois during the destruction of the Palatinate in 1689, the bombardment ordered on 13 August 1695 by Marechal de Villeroy was terrifying and terrible.
The Urban Economy – from Guild to Capitalism – The expansion in luxury trade resulting from the presence of the Burgundian Court and the rule of Emperor Charles V was under serious threat during the reign of Philip II. It finally went into a total slump owing to the events of 1695. However, as proved by the townspeople immediately after the French bombardment when they began to rebuild the fabulous Grand-Place that is so well known today, Brussels would shake off a particularly precarious economic situation and regain its former glory. This rebirth led to the digging of the Willebroek Canal linking the town to the sea. The man-made stretch of water was the result of a bitter struggle with the towns of Mechelen and Vilvorde, yet after its inauguration in 1561 it profoundly changed city life. By digging out basins in the very heart of the city. Brussels gradually became a port in which goods could be loaded and landed.
The guilds had gained an outlook that was somewhat protectionist and, in the Middle Ages, had left their mark on the town’s economy but they were suffering from a regime that had become obsolete. Although they were still active as political and social forces. they were unable to withstand for long the arrival of the factories that began to see the light of day in the 17C. How could a group of craftsmen subject to crippling expenditure by their guilds offer any real resistance to modern industry which employed a large workforce and made use of machinery? The days of local markets were over. Brussels and its harbor acquired cloth mills, leather works, soap factories and chemical plants and the major concern of all of them was to produce cheap goods for export. While the guilds were busy rebuilding a Grand-Place that was even more beautiful than before, the town was becoming a centre of international trade in a wide range of products including new foodstuffs from the colonies.
The Austrian Period - When Charles II of Spain died in 1700, it was discovered that he had designated Philip of Anjou to succeed him, a man who was none other than the grandson and possible successor of King Louis XIV of France. The risk of the uni¬fication of
During the second half of the 18C,
Picture of King Joseph II of
Revolution in Brabant and
that an unusually violent rebellion broke out.
After the French successes in the battlefield at Jemappes (1792) and Fleurus (1794), the southern part of the
Dutch Rule — The Kingdom of the
Famous painting of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 by Egide Charles Gustave Wappers
On the following day, the mass resignation of all the forces of law and order accelerated the process of revolution. Some shouted Vive la France (Long Live France while others wore the cockade of
Black and white picture of King Leopold II
Urban Development - In 1830, the capital and its suburbs included some 3% of the total population of the country; by 1914, the figure had risen to 10%. In the meantime, the Industrial Revolution had totally changed the city and its size had increased considerably. Rural communities were rapidly becoming towns throughout
At the same time, the city’s industrial vocation (textiles, building, publishing, mechanical engineering and luxury products) was given greater impetus with the setting-up of a more organised banking sector. Stimulated by the Societe Generale. a bank founded by William I and known in those days as the Banque de Bruxelles, private bankers began to act as sleeping partners in industrial firms. The banks and their subsidiaries provided the basis of what we now know as industrial loans. Moreover, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 turned
On 5 May 1835. the first Continental train left from Mechelen station for the station in Allée Verte. a trip that was then fashionable through an area to the north of the Porte d’Anvers. The capital city of the kingdom was about to become a major railway junction within the heart of a country whose heavy industry (mining, metalworking) was famous for its excellence and productivity far beyond its national borders. The city benefited, of course, from this development in communications and by 1870 it had four railway stations.
Ideas, too, were on the move, stimulated by the question of education which, for many years, divided Catholics who wanted to regain their monopoly of this sector and liberal thinkers determined to give people an opportunity to climb the rungs of the social ladder through learning. This is why, even today. “free” education in
King Baudouin of Belgium (1931-1993)
Wars and Crises before Major Transformation – At the beginning of the 20th Century the capital was a large, liberal, progressive city at the head of a conservative country. Intellectual life was flourishing, as were the daily papers which accounted for more than one-half of national circulation. Trade, which was already dynamic, was further encouraged by the organisation of several international exhibitions ranging from the exhibition to celebrate the Jubilee in 1880 to the World Fair in 1910 for which the poster showed Grand-Place with an airship flying over it. This picture travelled right round the globe. After the deep slump which led to the setting up of the Belgian Workers’ Party in 1885, the turn of the century was marked by an industrial boom whose leading figure was, without doubt, Ernest Solvay. The town centre became filled with the incessant comings-and-goings of trams and omnibuses, the Stock Exchange was filled with the tumult of youth, the large department stores filled their shelves with a huge range of items, and Art Nouveau came to the fore amid a plethora of swirls and curves. A smiling yet intimidated crowd walked past the first cameras operated by cinematographic reporters.
Unfortunately, the enthusiasm of
After the Second World War, the capital city was the scene of a royal crisis during which the various political parties were split on
(Western European Union). This confirmed the deeply international and cosmopolitan vocation of the city of
Brussels Today – The political problems arising from the city’s status are as complex as they were long to resolve. In 1970, Section 107 (d) was added to the Constitution indicating that Belgium included the regions of Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels. The Brussels conurbation officially includes 19 communes within an area of 161.78km2/62sq mi. They are Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Watermael-Boitsfort, Uccle, Schaerbeek, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Saint-Gilles, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Koekelberg, Jette, Ixelles, Ganshoren, Forest, Evere, Etterbeek, Brussels, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Auderghem and Anderlecht. Since 1989, these towns have formed a region in their own right called Bruxelles-Capitale and they have their own Council consisting of 75 directly elected members with a five-year mandate constituting one French-speaking group and one Dutch-speaking group. Since the reform of the Belgian State in 1980. the city has also been the headquarters of the offices of the Flemish Region; Wallonia chose Namur as its headquarters. Brussels has both Flemish and French communities.
Last but not least, Brussels is still a major industrial centre. Its main characteristic is the wide range of sectors of activity (metalworking, car assembly, chemicals, printing, publishing, clothes, leather goods, gold and silverware. technological research etc). Although the secondary sector is regressing slightly at the present time, the tertiary sector is continuing to develop. This is easily explained by the city’s function as a national and European capital. The economic consequences of its internationalisation are considerable. Just think of the number of companies that have chosen Brussels for their commercial or administrative head offices. Perversely, this has led to a decrease in the population which fell below the symbolic bar of one million in 1982 as a result of the exodus of many former city dwellers to towns on the periphery.
In 2001, the Bruxelles-Capitale region had a population of 964 405.
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