Editing Nivelles (section)

==History==

===The rise of Nivelles===
Starting in 4,000 BC, the Nivelles region was gradually turned into agricultural land by the Danubian settlers. Most of their ancestral Rubanean civilization was destroyed by the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] invaders during the first century AD. In turn, most of the Roman constructions, including [[villa]]s, were destroyed during the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] invasions of the 3rd century.

In the 7th century, the territory was part of the [[Austrasia]]n [[Franks|Frankish]] kingdom, and the [[Mayor of the Palace]], [[Pippin of Landen]], rebuilt a villa there that covered more than 78&nbsp;km². After Pippin's death in 640, the [[bishop of Maastricht]], the future [[Saint Amand]], urged Pippin's widow, [[Itta]], to found an abbey in their villa. Itta's daughter, [[Gertrude of Nivelles|Gertrude]], became the monastery's first abbess and was venerated as a saint upon her death. The growing influx of pilgrims necessitated the construction of ever-bigger churches, which culminated in the huge [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] structure that still stands today. The dedication of the church took place in 1046 in the presence of [[Wazo, Prince-Bishop of Liège]], and [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor]]. This was the golden age of the Nivelles monastery, which now owned territories as far as [[Friesland]], the [[Moselle]] and the [[Rhine]].

[[File:Nivelles JPG00 (9).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude, Nivelles|Collegiate Church of St. Gertrude]]]]

===13th century to 1830===
In the 13th century, the city that grew around the church became part of the [[Duchy of Brabant]]. The population was mainly artisans and [[guild]] members, who did not hesitate to fight the abbesses and the dukes to obtain their rights. These rights were finally granted by [[Joanna, Duchess of Brabant]] in the 14th century. In 1647, an important uprising by the thread manufacturers resulted in many of the city's entrepreneurs leaving for France, leading to the city's economic decline. The wars of the 17th century between France and the [[Spanish Netherlands]] made the situation worse as Nivelles went through successive sieges and military occupations. The [[Austrian Netherlands|Austrian]] and [[French First Republic|French]] regimes of the 18th century brought religious and administrative reforms to the city.

===1830 to the present day===
In 1830, Nivelles was one of the first cities to send patriotic troops to [[Brussels]] to fight in the [[Belgian Revolution]]. The following years were marked by the growth of [[heavy industry]], including metallurgy and railway construction. The bombing of the city during [[World War I]] brought some damage to buildings, but greater devastation occurred during [[World War II]] on 14 May 1940, when almost the entire city centre was destroyed, leaving only the walls of the collegiate church standing. The rebuilding of the church was completed in 1984, but remains can be seen of wall fragments on the south side of the collegiate.