Editing Philippeville (section)

==History==

===The foundation of Philippeville===
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Philippeville region was on the boundary between [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]]’s [[Burgundian Netherlands]] and [[Francis I of France|Francis I]]’s [[Kingdom of France|France]]. Fighting around Philippeville did not start, however, until 1554, after [[Henry II of France|Henry II]] had succeeded his father on the throne.  This area was ideal for an attack as it was covered with forests, sparsely populated and divided among the [[County of Hainaut]], that of [[Namur]], by now part of [[Burgundian Netherlands|Burgundy]], and the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]]. The medieval forts in the area were taken and pillaged one after the other. The fortress of Mariembourg, close to [[Couvin]], and the town of [[Givet]] soon fell to the French. In 1555, Charles V's new commander, [[William the Silent]], established a new fort in the village of Echerennes, a village known since the 9th century. He garrisoned his troops there as soon as the fort was completed, barely four months after the start of construction.

In 1556, Charles V named his new fortress ''Philippeville'' in honour of his son, [[Philip II of Spain]], who would succeed him in the Netherlands – and on the city – the following year.

===From 1557 to present===

In 1659, the [[Treaty of the Pyrenees]] stopped the [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–59)]] and most frontier cities became French, until [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]]’s defeat at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]]. Philippeville itself was [[Reduction of the French fortresses in 1815|one of the final French fortresses to surrender]] following Waterloo in 1815.  There was then a brief [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands|Dutch interlude]] until the [[Belgian Revolution]] in 1830.

A treaty drafted in London on 15 November 1831,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VW9bAAAAQAAJ&q=ath+fortress+demolished&pg=RA1-PR8 |title=State Papers|year=1832}} (Article I)</ref>  which the Netherlands refused to sign, was followed by the [[Treaty of London (1839)]], which created the [[Kingdom of Belgium]]. Part of the terms of the treaty required the Philippeville's fortifications, along with those of [[Menen|Menin]], [[Ath]], [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]] and [[Mariembourg]], to be dismantled. Philippeville's defensive walls were dismantled in 1856 under the reign of [[Leopold I of Belgium|King Leopold I]], in accordance with the terms of the treaty, having been declared superfluous on account of Belgium's [[Country neutrality (international relations)|enforced neutrality]], and have been replaced by the wide boulevards that circle the city today.