Editing Diksmuide (section)

==History==

===Medieval origins===
The 9th-century [[Franks|Frankish]] settlement of ''Dicasmutha'' was situated at the mouth of a stream near the [[Yser|River Yser]] ({{langx|nl|IJzer}}). The name is a compound of the Dutch words {{lang|nl|dijk}} (dike) and {{lang|nl|muide}} (river mouth). By the 10th century, a chapel and marketplace were already established. The city's [[charter]] was granted two centuries later and [[defensive walls]] built in 1270. The economy was already then based mainly on agriculture, with dairy products and linen driving the economy.

From the 15th century to the [[French Revolution]], Diksmuide was affected by the wars between the [[Netherlands]], [[France]], [[Spain]], and [[Austria]], with a corresponding decline in activity; it was captured by French forces in the [[Capitulation of Diksmuide]] in 1695. The 19th century was more peaceful and prosperous.

===World War I===
[[File:Belgium - Dixmude - NARA - 68154562 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of Diksmuide, 1919]]

At the outset of [[World War I]], [[Germany|German]] troops crossed the Belgian border near [[Arlon]], then proceeded hurriedly towards the [[North Sea]] to secure the [[France|French]] ports of {{lang|fr|[[Calais]]|italics=no}} and [[Dunkirk]]. The [[Battle of the Yser]] started in October 1914. Thanks to the water the Belgians were able to stop the Germans; at the end of October, they opened the floodgates holding back the River Yser and flooded the area. As a result, the river became a front line throughout the First World War. The city was first attacked on 16 October 1914 and defended by Belgian and French troops, which marked the beginning of the battle. Colonel [[Jules Marie Alphonse Jacques de Dixmude|Alphonse Jacques]] led the troops that prevented {{lang|nl|Diksmuide|italics=no}} from being taken by the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]]. Despite the heavy Belgian losses, the press, politicians, literary figures and the military itself created propaganda which formed public opinion into making the action appear strategic and heroic.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Fichou |first=Jean-Christophe |title=Les Pompons Rouges à Dixmude: L'Envers d'une Légende |language=fr |trans-title=The Red Pompons in Diksmuide: The Other Side of a Legend |journal=[[Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains]] |publisher=[[Presses Universitaires de France]] |date=2010 |volume=240 |issue=4 |pages=5–21 |doi=10.3917/gmcc.240.0005 |issn=0984-2292 |oclc=909782173|doi-access=free }}</ref>

By the time the fighting ended, the town had been reduced to rubble. It was, however, completely rebuilt in the 1920s.