Editing Oudenaarde (section)

===Oudenaarde’s golden age===
In the 11th century, Oudenaarde’s economy flourished, thanks to the proximity of the Scheldt and the burgeoning but vibrant cloth and tapestry industry.  Churches, cloisters and hospitals were built.  Throughout the Middle Ages, the city was one of the staunchest supporters of the counts of [[County of Flanders|Flanders]], defending them against insurrections from the South and even from [[Ghent]].  The city became known as the ''residence of the nobles''.  It built itself a flagship [[Oudenaarde Town Hall|town hall]] (built 1526–1537), which we can still admire today, and the St-Walburga church.  [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] stayed here for a couple of months in 1522 and fathered an illegitimate daughter, [[Margaret of Parma]], who was to become Regent of the Netherlands.