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Ghent Rebellion
In 1453, the Flemish city of Ghent rebelled against Burgundian Duke Philip the Good over a new salt tax and fiscal burdens;…
Timeline
- 1451–1452Ghent · FlandersGhent's citizens and guilds opposed the duke's newly imposed salt tax and fiscal burdens; tensions between the city council and the Burgundian authorities escalated, and some nobles and citizens took up arms, refusing to pay taxes to the duke and seeking autonomous rights.
- 1453Gavere · East FlandersBurgundian forces engaged the Ghent rebels in a decisive battle near Gavere; the rebels were badly defeated, with some sixteen thousand killed or captured, dealing a devastating blow to the city's resistance.
- 1453Ghent · FlandersAfter the defeat, Ghent endured a prolonged siege and ultimately surrendered. Philip issued a pardon but attached harsh conditions: demolition of part of the fortifications, payment of a massive indemnity, and the stripping of some autonomous privileges, as a warning to others.
Sources
- The Promised Lands: The Low Countries Under Burgundian Rule, 1369-1530 — Wim Blockmans and Walter Prevenier (1999)
- Philip the Good: The Apogee of Burgundy — Richard Vaughan (2002)