Editing Maastricht (section)

== History ==
{{For timeline}}

=== Toponymy ===
Maastricht is mentioned in ancient documents as ''[Ad] Treiectinsem [urbem]'' ab. 575, ''Treiectensis'' in 634, ''Triecto'', ''Triectu'' in 7th century, ''Triiect'' in 768–781, ''Traiecto'' in 945, ''Masetrieth'' in 1051.<ref>As ''Treiectinsem urbem'', "the city of Trajectum", in [[Gregory of Tours]], [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/gregorytours/gregorytours2.shtml ''Historia Francorum'', 2, 5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316175253/http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/gregorytours/gregorytours2.shtml |date=16 March 2015 }} (late 6th ct.).</ref><ref>M. Gysseling, ''Toponymisch Woordenboek van België, Nederland, Luxemburg, Noord-Frankrijk en West-Duitsland (vóór 1226)'' (Tongeren, 1960) [http://bouwstoffen.kantl.be/tw/facsimile/?find=maastricht p. 646].</ref>

The place name ''Maastricht'' is an [[Old Dutch]] compound ''Masa-'' (> ''Maas'' "the [[Meuse]] river") + Old Dutch ''*treiekt'', itself borrowed from Gallo-Romance <small>*TRA(I)ECTU</small> cf. its Walloon name ''li trek'', from Classical Latin ''trajectus'' ("[[Ford (crossing)|ford]], passage, place to cross a river") with the later addition of ''Maas'' "Meuse" to avoid the confusion with the ''-trecht'' of [[Utrecht]] having exactly the same original form and etymology. The Latin name first appears in medieval documents and it is not known whether ''{{lang|la|*Trajectu(s)}}'' was Maastricht's name during Roman times.

A resident of Maastricht is referred to as ''Maastrichtenaar'' while in the local dialect it is either ''Mestreechteneer'' or, colloquially, ''[[Sjeng (name)|Sjeng]]'' (derived from the formerly popular French name ''Jean'').

=== Early history ===
[[File:Maastricht - rijksmonument 527161 - Museumkelder Derlon 20100821.jpg|thumb|left|Roman sanctuary in the basement of Hotel Derlon]]
[[Neanderthal]] remains have been found to the west of Maastricht (Belvédère excavations). Of a later date are [[Palaeolithic]] remains, between 8,000 and 25,000 years old. [[Celts]] lived here around 500 BC, at a spot where the river [[Meuse]] was shallow and therefore easy to cross.

It is not known when the Romans arrived in Maastricht, nor whether the settlement was founded by them. The Romans built a bridge across the Meuse in the 1st century AD, during the reign of [[Augustus Caesar]]. The bridge was an important link in the main road between [[Bavay]] and [[Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium|Cologne]]. Roman Maastricht was relatively small. Remains of the Roman road, the bridge, a religious shrine, a [[Roman bath]], a [[granary]], some houses and the 4th-century [[castrum]] walls and gates, have been excavated. Fragments of provincial Roman sculptures, as well as coins, jewelry, glass, pottery and other objects from Roman Maastricht are on display in the exhibition space of the city's public library (''Centre Céramique'').

According to legend, the [[Armenia]]n-born [[Saint Servatius]], [[Bishopric of Tongeren|Bishop of Tongeren]], died in Maastricht in 384 where he was interred along the Roman road, outside the castrum. According to [[Gregory of Tours]] it was bishop [[Monulph]] who around 570 built the first stone church on the grave of Servatius, a precursor of the present-day [[Basilica of Saint Servatius]]. The city remained an early [[Christianity|Christian]] [[diocese]] until it lost the distinction to nearby [[Liège]] in the 8th or 9th century.

=== Middle Ages ===
In the early [[Middle Ages]] Maastricht, along with [[Aachen]] and [[Liège]], formed part of what is considered the heartland of the [[Carolingian dynasty]]. At this time, the town was an important centre for river trade and manufacturing. [[Merovingian]] coins minted in Maastricht have been found throughout Europe. In 881 the town was plundered by the [[Vikings]]. In the 10th century it briefly became the capital of the [[duchy of Lower Lorraine]].

During the 11th and 12th centuries the town flourished culturally. Several [[Provost (religion)|provosts]] of the chapter of Saint Servatius held important positions in the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The two [[collegiate church]]es were largely rebuilt and redecorated during this era. Maastricht [[Romanesque art#Sculpture|Romanesque stone sculpture]] and [[silversmithing]] are regarded as highlights of [[Mosan art]]. Maastricht painters were praised by [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]] in his [[Parzival]]. Around the same time, the poet [[Henric van Veldeke]] wrote a legend of Saint Servatius, one of the earliest works in [[Dutch literature]]. The two main churches acquired a wealth of [[relic]]s and the septennial [[Maastricht Pilgrimage]] became a major event that drew up to 100,000 pilgrims.

Unlike most Dutch towns, Maastricht did not receive [[City rights in the Netherlands|city rights]] at a certain date. These gradually developed during its long history. In 1204 the city's [[condominium (international law)|dual authority]] was formalised in a treaty, with the [[prince-bishop of Liège]] and the [[Duchy of Brabant|duke of Brabant]] holding joint sovereignty over the city. Soon afterwards the first ring of medieval walls were built. In 1275, the old Roman bridge collapsed under the weight of a procession, allegedly killing 400 people. A replacement bridge, funded by church [[indulgence]]s, was built slightly to the north and survives until today, the [[Sint Servaasbrug]].<ref>{{citation|title=Christendom and Christianity in the Middle Ages: The Relations Between Religion, Church, and Society|first=Adriaan H.|last=Bredero|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-8028-4992-2|page=352|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CD-2apInJSYC&pg=PA352}}.</ref>

Throughout the Middle Ages, the city remained a centre for trade and manufacturing principally of [[wool]] and [[leather]] but gradually economic decline set in. After a brief period of economic prosperity around 1500, the city's economy suffered during the [[European wars of religion|wars of religion]] of the 16th and 17th centuries, and recovery did not happen until the [[industrial revolution]] in the early 19th century.

=== 16th to 18th centuries ===
[[File:1579 Siege of Maastricht - Aranjuez Palace.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Siege of Maastricht (1579)]] as depicted in the [[Palace of Aranjuez]]|200x200px]]
The strategic location of Maastricht at a major river crossing necessitated the construction of an array of fortifications around the city during this period. The Spanish and Dutch [[garrison]]s became an important factor in the city's economy. In 1579 the city was sacked by the Spanish army led by the [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Duke of Parma]] ([[Siege of Maastricht (1579)|Siege of Maastricht, 1579]]). For over fifty years the Spanish crown took over the role previously held by the dukes of Brabant in the joint sovereignty over Maastricht. In 1632 [[Capture of Maastricht|the city was conquered]] by Prince [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange|Frederick Henry]] of [[Principality of Orange|Orange]] and the Dutch [[Netherlands States-General|States General]] replaced the Spanish crown in the joint government of Maastricht. There was an attempt in 1634 of Spanish forces to [[Siege of Maastricht (1634)|recapture the city]], but to no avail.

Another [[Siege of Maastricht (1673)]] took place during the [[Franco-Dutch War]]. In June 1673, [[Louis XIV of France#Early wars in the Low Countries|Louis XIV]] laid siege to the city because French supply lines were being threatened. During this siege, [[Vauban]], the famous French military engineer, developed a new tactic in order to break down the strong fortifications surrounding Maastricht. His systematic approach remained the standard method of attacking fortresses until the 20th century. On 25 June 1673, while preparing to storm the city, captain-lieutenant [[Charles de Batz de Castelmore]], also known as the ''comte [[d'Artagnan]]'', was killed by a musket shot outside the Tongerse Poort. This event was embellished in [[Alexandre Dumas, père|Alexandre Dumas']] novel ''[[The Vicomte de Bragelonne]]'', part of the [[D'Artagnan Romances]]. French troops occupied Maastricht from 1673 to 1678.

In 1748 the French again conquered the city at what is known as the [[Siege of Maastricht (1748)|Second French Siege of Maastricht]], during the [[War of Austrian Succession]]. After each siege the city's fortifications were restored and expanded. The French revolutionary army failed to take the city in 1793 but a year later they succeeded. The condominium was dissolved and Maastricht was annexed to the [[French First Republic]], later the [[First French Empire]]. For almost twenty years (1795–1814/15) Maastricht was the capital of the French [[Département in France#Napoleonic Empire|département]] of [[Meuse-Inférieure]].

=== 19th and early 20th century ===
[[File:Boschstraat Sphinx, 1865.jpg|thumb|19th-century industry: Maastricht potteries in Boschstraat]]
After the [[Napoleonic era]], Maastricht became part of the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]] in 1815. It was made the capital of the newly formed [[Province of Limburg (1815–1839)]]. When the southern provinces of the newly formed kingdom [[Belgian Revolution|seceded in 1830]], the Dutch garrison in Maastricht remained loyal to the Dutch king, [[William I of the Netherlands|William I]], even when most of the inhabitants of the town and the surrounding area sided with the Belgian revolutionaries. In 1831, arbitration by the [[Great Powers]] allocated the city to the Netherlands. However, neither the Dutch nor the Belgians agreed to this and the arrangement was not implemented until the 1839 [[Treaty of London, 1839|Treaty of London]]. During this period of isolation Maastricht developed into an early industrial town.

[[File:Maastricht Liberation Plate, 14 Sept. 1944.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Plate commemorating the liberation, 14 September 1944]]
Because of its eccentric location in the southeastern Netherlands, as well as its geographical and cultural proximity to Belgium and Germany, integration of Maastricht and Limburg into the Netherlands did not come about easily. Maastricht retained a distinctly non-Dutch appearance during much of the 19th century and it was not until the [[First World War]] that the city was forced to look northwards.

Like the rest of the Netherlands, Maastricht remained neutral during World War I. However, being wedged between Germany and Belgium, it received large numbers of refugees, putting a strain on the city's resources. Early in [[World War II]], the city was taken by the [[Nazi Germany|Germans]] by surprise during the [[Battle of Maastricht]] of May 1940. On 13 and 14 September 1944 it was the first Dutch city to be liberated by [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] of the US [[30th Infantry Division (United States)|Old Hickory Division]]. The three Meuse bridges were destroyed or severely damaged during the war. As elsewhere in the Netherlands, the majority of Maastricht [[Jews]] died in [[Nazi concentration camps]].<ref>About 77% of Maastricht's relatively small Jewish community of 505 members did not survive the war. {{aut|P.J.H. Ubachs & I.M.H. Evers}} (2005): ''Historische Encyclopedie Maastricht'', pp. 256–257. Walburg Pers, Zutphen. {{ISBN|90-5730-399-X}}.</ref>

=== After World War II ===
[[File:Europese Raad in Maastricht, 27a Van Agt e.a. tijdens conferentie, 28a en 29a overzicht tijdens conferentie met links Thatcher, Bestanddeelnr 931-3910.jpg|thumb|Prime minister [[Dries van Agt]] presiding over the 1981 [[European Council]] in the town hall]]
During the latter half of the century, traditional industries (such as Maastricht's [[pottery|potteries]]) declined and the city's economy shifted to a [[service economy]]. [[Maastricht University]] was founded in 1976. Several European institutions found their base in Maastricht. In 1981 and 1991 [[European Council]]s were held in Maastricht, the latter one resulting a year later in the signing of the [[Maastricht Treaty]], leading to the creation of the [[European Union]] and the [[euro]].<ref>Gnesotto, N. (1992). European union after Minsk and Maastricht. ''International Affairs''. 68(2), 223–232.</ref> Since 1988, [[The European Fine Art Fair]], regarded as the world's leading art fair, annually draws in some of the wealthiest art collectors.

Since the 1990s, large parts of the city have been refurbished, including the areas around the main railway station and the Maasboulevard [[promenade]] along the Meuse, the Entre Deux and Mosae Forum shopping centres, as well as some of the main shopping streets. A prestigious quarter designed by international architects and including the new [[Bonnefanten Museum]], a public library, and a theatre was built on the grounds of the former Société Céramique factory near the town centre. Further large-scale projects, such as the redevelopment of the area around the [[A2 motorway (Netherlands)|A2 motorway]], the Sphinx Quarter and the Belvédère area are under construction.

In the early 2000s, Maastricht launched several campaigns against drug-dealing in an attempt to stop foreign buyers taking advantage of the liberal Dutch legislation and causing trouble in the downtown area.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- Tekst: -->Maastricht Van onze verslaggever |url=http://www.limburger.nl/article/20080311/REGIONIEUWS06/803110348/1056 |title=Coffee Corner: Dagblad de Limburger |publisher=Limburger.nl |access-date=23 May 2012 |archive-date=31 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831232055/http://www.limburger.nl/article/20080311/REGIONIEUWS06/803110348/1056 |url-status=dead }}</ref>