Editing Roeselare (section)

===16th century to Waterloo===

The center of Roeselare belonged throughout history to the [[Wijnendale Castle|Fiefdom of Wijnendale]] and therefore fell under the responsibility of the [[Duchy of Cleves|House of Cleves]] in the 15th and 16th century and under the Dukes of [[Palatinate-Neuburg]] in the 17th and 18th century.

The 16th century proved to be disastrous for the city as the Spanish rulers ruthlessly repressed any desire for autonomy in the [[Low Countries]], both political and religious. [[Iconoclasm|Iconoclasts]] stormed the city in 1566 and destroyed most of the sacred art.  The [[Eighty Years' War]] that followed put an end to the wool supply from England, which in turn resulted in the disappearance of the cloth industry in Roeselare.  Starting with the reigns of Archdukes [[Albert VII, Archduke of Austria|Albert]] and [[Isabella Clara Eugenia|Isabella]], the beginning of the 17th century was a lot kinder to Roeselare.  New churches and religious houses were built and old ones repaired.  New schools also appeared in the city and the cloth industry found a new life.  The second half of the century, however, was marked by the wars of [[Louis XIV]] and Marshal [[Turenne]] against the Spanish, with further plundering and misery.  The [[Treaty of Nijmegen]] in 1678 made Roeselare a border city, a situation that encouraged smuggling rather than regular economic development.

The 18th century was a generally prosperous period that saw the construction of the current city hall.  In 1794, the area was the scene of a French victory over the [[Austrians]].  The victors imposed deep reforms on the country, such as a new legal system (the [[Napoleonic Code]]) and the curtailment of religious freedoms, which lasted until the [[Concordat of 1802]] between [[Napoleon]] and [[Pope Pius VII]].