Editing Flanders (section)

=== Historical Flanders ===
{{Main|County of Flanders}}
[[File:Archive-ugent-be-79D46426-CC9D-11E3-B56B-4FBAD43445F2 DS-90 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A Flemish lady and gentleman in the year 1400, illustrated in the manuscript "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by [[Lucas de Heere|Lucas d'Heere]] in the 2nd half of the 16th century. Preserved in the [[Ghent University Library]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel par Luc Dheere peintre et sculpteur Gantois[manuscript]|url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:79D46426-CC9D-11E3-B56B-4FBAD43445F2#?c=&m=&s=&cv=49&xywh=-2919,638,11313,6316|access-date=25 August 2020|website=lib.ugent.be}}</ref>]]

The County of Flanders was a [[feudal]] [[fief]] in [[West Francia]]. The first certain Count in the comital family, [[Baldwin I of Flanders]], is first reported in a document of 862, when he eloped with a daughter of his king [[Charles the Bald]]. The region developed as a medieval economic power with a large degree of political autonomy. While its trading cities remained strong, it was weakened and divided when districts fell under direct French royal rule in the late 12th century. The remaining parts of Flanders came under the rule of the counts of neighbouring imperial [[County of Hainaut|Hainaut]] under [[Baldwin V of Hainaut]] in 1191.

During the late [[Middle Ages]], Flanders's trading towns (notably [[Ghent]], [[Bruges]] and [[Ypres]]) made it one of the richest and most urbanized parts of Europe, weaving the [[wool]] of neighbouring lands into cloth for both domestic use and export. As a consequence, a sophisticated culture developed, with impressive art and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. Ghent, Bruges, Ypres and the [[Franc of Bruges]] formed the [[Four Members]], a form of parliament that exercised considerable power in Flanders.<ref>''Philip the Good: the apogee of Burgundy'' by Richard Vaughan, p201</ref>

Increasingly powerful from the 12th century, the territory's autonomous urban [[Medieval commune|communes]] were instrumental in defeating a French attempt at annexation (1300–1302), finally defeating the French in the [[Battle of the Golden Spurs]] (11 July 1302), near [[Kortrijk]]. Two years later, the [[Franco-Flemish War (1297-1305)|uprising was defeated]] and Flanders indirectly remained part of the French Crown. Flemish prosperity waned in the following century, due to widespread European population decline following the [[Black Death]] of 1348, the disruption of trade during the Anglo-French [[Hundred Years' War]] (1337–1453), and increased English cloth production. Flemish weavers had gone over to [[Worstead]] and [[North Walsham]] in Norfolk in the 12th century and established the woolen industry.

The County of Flanders started to take control of the neighbouring [[County of Brabant]] during the life of [[Louis II, Count of Flanders]] (1330–1384), who fought his sister-in-law [[Joanna, Duchess of Brabant]] for control of it.

The entire area, straddling the ancient boundary of France and the Holy Roman Empire, later passed to [[Philip the Bold]] in 1384, the [[Duchy of Burgundy|Duke of Burgundy]], with his capital in [[Brussels]]. The titles were eventually more clearly united under his grandson [[Philip the Good]] (1396 – 1467). This large Duchy passed in [[<!--same year: Great Privilege + Habsburg by her marriage-->Mary of Burgundy|1477]] to the [[Habsburg]] dynasty, and in [[<!--Charles V abdicated-->Philip II of Spain|1556]] to the kings of Spain. Western and southern districts of Flanders were confirmed under French rule under successive treaties of [[Treaty of the Pyrenees|1659]] (Artois), [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)|1668]] and [[Treaties of Nijmegen|1678]].

The County of Loon, approximately the modern Flemish province of Limburg, remained independent of France, forming a part of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]] until the French Revolution, but surrounded by the Burgundians, and under their influence.