Editing Ostend (section)

===15th–18th centuries===
[[File:Ostend, Belgium ; Ferraris Map.jpg|thumb|left|Ostend on the [[Ferraris map]] (around 1775)]]
[[Image:Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk (Oostende) 1-08-2024 13-43-45.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk|St Petrus and St Paulus Church]]]]

The strategic position on the North Sea coast had major advantages for Ostend as a harbour but also proved to be a source of trouble. The town was frequently taken, ravaged, ransacked and destroyed by conquering armies. The [[Dutch people|Dutch]] rebels, the [[Geuzen|Gueuzen]], took control of the town. The [[Siege of Ostend]], 1601 to 1604, of which it was said that "the Spanish assailed the unassailable and the Dutch defended the indefensible", cost a combined total of more than 80,000 dead or wounded, making it the single bloodiest battle of the [[Eighty Years' War]]. This shocking event set in motion negotiations that led to a truce several years later.  When the truce broke down, it became a [[Dunkirker]] base.

After this era, Ostend was turned into a harbour of some importance. In 1722, the Dutch again closed off the entrance to the world's biggest harbour of [[Antwerp]], the [[Westerschelde]]. Therefore, Ostend rose in importance because the town provided an alternative exit to the sea. The [[Southern Netherlands|Belgium Austriacum]] had become part of the [[Austrian Empire]]. The Austrian Emperor [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] granted the town the trade monopoly with Africa and the Far-East. The [[Oostendse Compagnie]] (Ostend trade company) was allowed to found colonies overseas. However, in 1727 the Oostendse Compagnie was forced to stop its activities because of Dutch and British pressure. The Netherlands and Britain would not allow competitors on the international trade level. Both nations regarded international trade as "their" privilege.

There was a [[Jewish community]] in Ostend, which was first noted in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ostend |url=https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/belgium/ostende/ |website=JGuide Europe |access-date=21 June 2024}}</ref>