Editing Mons, Belgium (section)

=== From 1500 to 1800 ===
[[File:Stadsplan Mons uit de zestiende eeuw.jpg|thumb|Map of Mons in the 16th century by Lodovico Guicciardini<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stadsplan Mons |url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:6B78AEB4-AC3F-11DF-AFBB-DEEB78F64438#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-1204,-181,6718,3605 |access-date=5 October 2020 |website=lib.ugent.be |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009041539/https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:6B78AEB4-AC3F-11DF-AFBB-DEEB78F64438#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-1204,-181,6718,3605 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
[[File:Kungsboken-karta-mons.jpg|thumb|Map of Mons at the siege, 1691]]
In 1515, [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] took an oath in Mons as Count of Hainaut. In this period of its history, the city became the target of various occupations, starting in May 1572 with the [[Protestant]] takeover by [[Louis of Nassau]], who had hoped to clear the way for the French Protestant leader [[Gaspard II de Coligny|Gaspard de Coligny]] to oppose Spanish rule. After the murder of [[Gaspard II de Coligny|de Coligny]] during the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]], the [[Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba|Duke of Alba]] took control of Mons in September 1572 in the name of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Spanish monarchy|King of Spain]]. This spelled the ruin of the city and the arrest of many of its inhabitants; from 1580 to 1584, Mons became the capital of the [[Southern Netherlands]].

On 8 April 1691, after a nine-month siege, [[Louis XIV]]’s army stormed the city, which again suffered heavy casualties. From 1697 to 1701, Mons was alternately French or Austrian. After being under French control from 1701 to 1709, the Dutch and British armies gained the upper hand in the [[Battle of Malplaquet]] and the [[Siege of Mons (1709)|Siege of Mons]] in 1709. In 1715, Mons returned to Austria under the terms of the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] (1713). But the French did not give up easily; [[Louis XV]] besieged the city again in 1746. After the [[Battle of Jemappes]] (1792), the Hainaut area was annexed to France and Mons became the capital of [[Jemappes]].