Ghent History Facts and Timeline

(Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium)



The largest city in Belgium's East Flanders province is Ghent, which serves as the provincial capital. Thanks to its location at the confluence of the Lys (Leie) River and the Scheldt River, the city began its history as a useful hub for regional trade and commerce.

By the Middle Ages, this was one of northern Europe's most influential and wealthy cities. Today, Ghent enjoys continued prosperity as a university and port city in Belgium's Flemish region. Many cultural events, like the annual Ghent Festival (Gentse Feesten) lure huge numbers of visitors each year - this popular ten-day cultural festival alone draws in excess of one million people.

An Abbey Town

Like many towns in this region of Europe, Ghent grew out of the spread of early Christianity. St. Amand arrived here around the middle of the 7th century AD and established no less than two abbeys - the Abbey of St. Bavo and also the Abbey of St. Peter.


The town of Ghent and its history developed and expanded around the abbeys, forming a small commercial district in its centre. It gained some prominence around the turn of the 9th century AD when Einhard, a studious Frankish scholar and servant of Charlemagne (Charles the Great), was appointed to serve as the abbot of the town's two abbeys.

Commercial Powerhouse

After being plundered by the Vikings in 851 AD and again less than 30 years later, Ghent rebuilt itself within fortified walls and enjoyed several centuries of sustained prosperity. In the 11th century, the city discovered that it was ideally situated for herding sheep, thanks to its lush meadowland. The sheep gave rise to a thriving local wool industry, and by the 13th century, rapid expansion meant that this was now Europe's second-largest city after only Paris, the French capital.

The wealth that flowed into Ghent during this golden era manifested itself in grandiose buildings like St. Nicholas' Church and also St. Bavo's Cathedral, with its tall tower.

Throughout the Middle Ages, this city was Europe's most important producer of cloth, particularly wool. In fact, the city enjoyed such a thriving trade in wool that it even imported the raw material from both England and Scotland in order to keep up with the constant demand. This is a major reason why Flanders had such good relations with those two countries in particular.

Rebellion and Change

The Hundred Years War negatively affected Ghent's wool trade, but by the 14th century, the city had recovered after Flanders was aligned with several regional provinces under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy. They imposed heavy taxation on local businesses, which led to a rebellion and the 1453 Battle of Gavere.

The city suffered a major loss in that war, and at the same time, the centre of social and political influence among the Low Countries shifted from Flanders to Brabant, home of Brussels and Antwerp. Ghent continued to enjoy an important economic role, but its political influence waned.

Charles V

When Charles V became the Spanish King and Holy Roman Emperor, Ghent thought it would get special favour. Charles V was a native of the city, but after the Revolt of Ghent in the year of 1539, he punished the city's noblemen by making them walk barefoot with nooses around their necks - in front of the emperor. For this reason, the residents of the city became known as Stroppendragers (Dutch for 'noose bearers'). Charles V tore down most of St. Bavo's Abbey and built himself a Spanish fort on the site.

Recent Centuries

The religious wars in this part of Europe during the late 16th and 17th centuries devastated Ghent, which was Calvinist until the Spanish imposed Catholicism on the region.

The modern history of Ghent was shaped by French and Austrian occupation, the revival of the textile industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, and absorption into the Netherlands for almost two decades. The city continues to be an important centre for Belgian commerce, with its river port and thriving university, as well as its very healthy tourism scene.