Editing Ommen (section)

===The emergence of Ommen===
The first inhabitants of the area around Ommen were probably [[semi-nomadic]] [[hunter-gatherers]]. [[Flint]] from the [[Mesolithic|Mesolithic period]] found in between Ommen and [[Hardenberg|Mariënberg]] indicates the presence of humans around 9,000 BCE, but there seems to have been hardly any [[tillage|cultivation]] or permanent [[Human settlement|settlement]] during this period.<ref name="Nevelzel"/>

The [[Vechte|Vecht]] (sometimes called the Overijsselse Vecht, to avoid confusion with its [[Vecht (Utrecht)|namesake]] in [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]]) and [[Regge River|Regge]] [[river]]s determined the first settlements in the area that is now the municipality of Ommen. Most of the [[Salland]] region was [[marsh]]y but the higher banks along the Vecht and Regge provided fertile [[soil]] for [[agriculture]]. Moreover, good roads were rare, so for trade, transport and travel the rivers provided a vital infrastructure. The first sporadic agricultural settlements in [[Salland]] therefore arose along the riverbanks of the Vecht and the Regge around 5,000 BCE. Indeed, all early population centres in the current municipality of Ommen were originally built on riverbanks — with the exception of the town of [[Lemele]], which was situated on the lower slopes of the [[Lemelerberg]], free from flooding by the Regge.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Hutkom.JPG|thumb|left|A ''hutkom'': an early Saxon dwelling]] -->

The location of Ommen itself proved particularly suitable for settlement — not only because of the fertile river soil and the higher ground of the river dune (even today the church square is visibly higher than the streets to its east and south), but also because of the [[ford (crossing)|ford]] in the Vecht facilitating trade routes between the [[Frisia]]n north and [[Twente]] to the south. Archeological discoveries indicate that the first settlement in Ommen itself emerged during the 8th century CE, and by the end of the 11th century a veritable town had developed — among the first in Overijssel.<ref name="Willem Bemboom">Willem Bemboom, [http://www.delete-it.nl/oudommen/?p=1789 ''Het maritieme cultuurlandschap van Regge en Vecht'']{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (2007), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Afdeling Maritieme Archeology. (in Dutch)</ref> The first permanent settlers in Ommen were mixed crop-livestock farmers who also engaged in river trade and [[inn]]keeping. Most of these first settlers were probably of [[Saxons|Saxon]] origin, though the [[Salian Franks|Salians]] who dominated the banks of the [[IJssel]] also influenced the region economically, politically and religiously. The first houses in Ommen were ''hutkommen'': wooden houses of which the ground floor was typically around half a meter below the ground. A church was built at the heart of Ommen around 1150 and was soon after replaced by a stone church, indicating further growth of the settlement. Written records first mention Ommen as ''de Vmme'' in 1133 and as ''Ummen'' in 1227.<ref>Steen, G. en W. Veldsink, 1948 – De geschiedenis van Ommen. (in Dutch)</ref>

[[File:Stad Ommen zegel.jpg|thumb|The official seal of the city of Ommen (15th century), depicting its patron saint, [[Brigid of Kildare|Saint Brigid of Kildare]]]]

This gradual growth, however, did not mean Ommen could also dominate the surrounding area politically, as there were many other powers in the land. Above all, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht#Roman Catholic archbishops after Restoration of the Episcopal Hierarchy|Prince-Bishop of Utrecht]], who had obtained dominion over all of [[Oversticht]] from [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor]], in 1010, repeatedly attempted to increase and centralise his authority over the towns and estates of Salland. The [[bourgeoisie|burghers]] of nearby cities — especially [[Zwolle]] — were also known to interfere in the region. More locally, farming communities in the eastern Netherlands organised themselves into ''markes'' (autonomous areas) where a ''buurschap'' (rule by neighbours) formed a unique kind of grassroots local government. Last but not least, ''havezates'' (or [[castle]]s) arose in the area surrounding Ommen — especially at strategic points such as the banks of the Vecht (the [[Arendshorst]] on the northern bank and [[Beerze]] on the southern bank), the banks of the Regge (most notably at [[Eerde (Ommen)|Eerde]]) or both banks ('t Laer) — from which [[Robber baron (feudalism)|robber baron]]s dominated the surrounding area and could levy tolls on river commerce in defiance of the authority of the bishop.<ref>[http://www.laer.nl/historie.htm The History of 't Laer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120122349/http://laer.nl/historie.htm |date=2009-01-20 }} (in Dutch)</ref> These robber barons and the ''buurschappen'' formed a check on the influence of Ommen on the surrounding region — yet it was ironically due to one such robber baron that Ommen grew to become an outright city.