Editing Dendermonde (section)

===16th to 20th century===
[[File:Dendermonde, Belgium ; Ferraris Map.jpg|thumb|left|Dendermonde on the [[Ferraris map]] (around 1775)]]

The 16th century saw a decline in Dendermonde's fortunes. In 1572, the city was conquered by [[William the Silent]]. The same year, however, Spanish troops under Duke [[Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma|Alexander Farnese]] of [[Duchy of Parma|Parma]], took over the city, looted and mostly destroyed it. A decade later, the Spaniards built their own fortress between the Dender and the Scheldt. In 1667, it was France's turn, under [[Louis XIV]], to advance on the city, but they were turned back when the defenders opened the dikes and flooded the countryside.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Termonde|volume=26|page=645}}</ref> The allied troops of the [[Netherlands]] and England, under the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]], caused the heaviest damage in 1706. The city was then fortified by the Austrians against further French ambitions. After a last siege by [[Louis XV]], the city could finally breathe to the point that the fortifications were dismantled a few decades later.

The second half of the 18th century was generally prosperous, with the advent of the [[Industrial Revolution]] and a local cotton industry. After 1800, the port facilities were modernized and the first railways laid down, allowing other industries (e.g. oil, shoe, leather, etc.) to move in.

The onset of [[World War I]] in September 1914 was disastrous for the city as more than half of its housing and the city archives were either bombed or burned down.