Editing Brussels (section)

===Early history===
[[File:Charles de France fondateur de Bruxelles 976 MOD.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine|Charles of Lorraine]], traditionally considered the founder of what would become Brussels, {{circa|979|lk=no}}]]

The history of Brussels is closely linked to that of [[Western Europe]]. Traces of human settlement go back to the [[Stone Age]], with vestiges and place-names related to the civilisation of [[megalith]]s, [[dolmen]]s and [[standing stones]] (Plattesteen near the [[Grand-Place|Grand-Place/Grote Markt]] and [[Tomberg metro station|Tomberg]] in [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]], for example). During [[late antiquity]], the region was home to [[Roman Empire|Roman]] occupation, as attested by archaeological evidence discovered on the current site of [[Tour & Taxis]], north-west of the [[Pentagon (Brussels)|Pentagon]] (Brussels' city centre).<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 August 2015|title=Bruxelles: des vestiges romains retrouvés sur le site de Tour et Taxis|language=fr-FR|work=RTBF Info|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/bruxelles/detail_decouverte-majeure-a-bruxelles-des-vestiges-romains-retrouves-sur-le-site-de-tour-et-taxis?id=9048235|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823022836/https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/bruxelles/detail_decouverte-majeure-a-bruxelles-des-vestiges-romains-retrouves-sur-le-site-de-tour-et-taxis?id=9048235|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Les Romains de Tour & Taxis — Patrimoine – Erfgoed|url=http://patrimoine.brussels/news/les-romains-de-tour-et-taxis|access-date=28 April 2017|website=patrimoine.brussels|language=fr|archive-date=10 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410140806/http://patrimoine.brussels/news/les-romains-de-tour-et-taxis|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the decline of the [[Western Roman Empire]], it was incorporated into the [[Frankish Empire]].

According to local legend, the origin of the settlement which was to become Brussels lies in Saint [[Gaugericus]]' construction of a chapel on [[Saint-Géry Island|an island]] in the river [[Senne (river)|Senne]] around 580.{{sfn|State|2004|p=269}} The official founding of Brussels is usually said to be around 979, when [[Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine]], transferred the [[relic]]s of the [[martyr]] Saint [[Gudula]] from [[Moorsel]] (located in today's province of [[East Flanders]]) to Saint Gaugericus' chapel. When [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor]], appointed the same Charles to become Duke of [[Lower Lotharingia]] in 977,{{sfn|Riché|1983|p=276}} Charles ordered the construction of the city's first permanent fortification, doing so on that same island.