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Ghent Citizens' Uprising

Type Event Region Western Europe Time 1390–1399

In the 1390s, repeated waves of civic revolt erupted in the Flemish city of Ghent despite tight control by Burgundian Duke Philip II, as weavers' gui…

Timeline

  1. 1382–1390Ghent · FlandersAfter the Battle of Roosebeke in 1382, Philip II used his military victory to tighten control over the Flemish cities, stationing ducal officials, levying heavy taxes, and restricting guild arms. Ghent lost many of its autonomous privileges, and citizen discontent steadily built up through the 1390s.
  2. 1391–1399Ghent · FlandersGhent's weavers' and merchants' guilds repeatedly refused to pay the ducal tribute, and armed standoffs occurred between the civic militia and ducal troops. Negotiations between the city council and the duke's envoys repeatedly reached deadlock; some leaders were exiled or executed, but the wave of revolt ebbed and flowed over the decade.
  3. 1398–1399Ghent · FlandersUnder sustained military pressure and economic blockade, Ghent eventually reached a partial compromise with the duke: limited guild rights were restored and the tribute obligation confirmed, while the city's armed forces were disbanded. Though not a complete victory, the uprising delayed Burgundy's full annexation of the Flemish cities.

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