Editing Geel (section)

===From the French Revolution until today===
In 1795, the Duchy of Brabant was dissolved and Geel made part of the French [[130 departments of the First French Empire|department]] of [[Deux-Nèthes]], the precursor of the present province of Antwerp. The nobles and clerics of the [[Ancien Régime]] gave way to a mayor, who was now answerable to the town’s people. Geel actively participated in the [[Belgian Revolution]] of 1830, resulting in the award of an honorary flag from [[Leopold II of Belgium|King Leopold II]]. The 19th century also saw the building of several new churches at the demand of the various parishes. A major occurrence in the history of Geel is the [[battle of Geel]] (also referred to as the "Gheel bridgehead") in September 1944, one of the heaviest and bloodiest fights during the liberation of Belgium. Eventually the territory of Geel, and the smaller villages around it, were finally liberated on September 23, but it had claimed numerous military and civilian casualties.