The development of urban centers in the Low Countries shows the process in which a region, the Low Countries  in Western Europe, evolves from a highly rural outpost of the Roman Empire into the largest urbanized area above the Alps by the 15th century CE. As such, this article covers the development of Dutch and Flemish cities beginning at the end of the migration period till the end of the Dutch Golden Age. 150px|Objects found excavating the remains of Dorestad. The northern border of the Roman Empire, known as limes ad Germaniam inferiorem, was set at the Rhine in 47 AD. The border was protected with fortresses and the Low Countries became the outer provinces of the empire, situated near the Roman-Germanic border. Probably because of the (founded) fear of Germanic incursions, Roman settlements (such as Roman villas and colonies) were extremely sparse, and Roman presence was mainly limited to three Castra (Noviomagus, near modern Nijmegen; Flevum, near Velsen; and a last one near Oudenburg, its name is unknown), and a set of Castellum ( of which Castellum Trajectum would lay the foundation of Utrecht). These together formed the only population centers which surpassed the native villages of the time in terms of architecture and, in some cases, population. The only possible exception was the city of Atuatuca Tungrorum, which later became one of the earliest centers of Christianity in the Low Countries. Around (the ruins of) these Castra and Castellum the first large settlements arose . Very little is known about these settlements, apart from archeological material , as there was little literacy at the time. Based on archeological evidence, together with sparsely preserved written text it is thought that Dorestad (build near the former Roman fortifications) was the most populous and important settlement of the region; with an estimated 3,000 inhabitants, it was much larger than the remaining villages, which often had no more than 100–150 inhabitants. Dorestad seems to have been the principal trading center of the Low Countries from around 600 CE until it started to decline around the early 9th century , caused by frequent Viking raids, Frisian-Frankish wars, silting of its river connection and the emerging of new centers favoured by the Franks, such as Liège, Cambrai, Soissons, Herstal, Tournai and, most to the north , the neighbouring site of Nijmegen. In 696 , Willibrord, an Anglo-Saxon missionary, was permitted by the Frankish king Pippin II to settle in Utrecht and initiated by Pop Sergius I as archbishop of the Frisians . He buit in Utrecht a church dedicated to St. Martin  and from there he converted the Frisians to Christianity, sparking the city to become a major ecclesiastical center in the Low Countries. From around the 10th century, mainly due to population growth and improved infrastructure, more larger settlements begin to appear. Around the 11th century, some of these cities begin to form networks of urban centers. In the Low Countries these appeared in 3 regions; at first in the County of Flanders in the South, then followed by the County of Holland in the North and Northern Guelders/Oversticht in the East. The cities located in the center of the Low Countries were able to profit of both of the Flemish and Hollandic cities and no real urban network emerged there . In the North of the Low Countries, however, such as Frisia and Groningen ; cities remained relatively isolated. Groningen is still nicknamed stad ("city") within its province ; signaling its position as the only city in the region as well as its isolation. Southern development The principal urban center in the County of Flanders was focused on the cities of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres. The textile industry (using wool from England) in this area flourished which provided the region with enormous wealth, as well as attracting various other trades. The area was notorious for its civil uprisings. When the French King added the county to his crown lands in 1297, this sparked a popular revolt culminating in the defeat of the French knight army by the peasant militia of the cities at the Battle of the Golden Spurs. By 1500 these cities had lost their leading position within the Low Countries to Antwerp ; though still playing an important role. In the East of the Low Countries, a number of towns aligned themselves with the Hanseatic cities , who controlled the trade in and around the Baltic Sea. This sparked a sudden economic boom for these cities ; principally Zutphen, Kampen, Deventer, Elburg, Doesburg, Zwolle and their immediate surroundings. The boom was relatively short, as Hollandic, Flemish and English merchants tried (and eventually succeeded in) breaking open the Baltic trade ; thereby ending the Hanseatic monopoly which  earned its members their wealth. Because of the comparatively short time of economic prosperity, these cities are notably smaller than for example the Flemish cities, and after Hollandic domination and, in the late 16th century, economical supremacy they found themselves in the hinterland of the Dutch economy. Western development The Hollandic cities in the 13th century  were less advanced than either their Eastern or Flemish counterparts; for the most part of the 14th and 15th century the Hollandic cities performed the role of intermediate between the latter and its trade partners oversees. Eventually they formed the bulk of the transport fleet sailing on Bruges and Ghent ; which earned them considerable wealth and sparked further expansion. It wasn't till the Fall of Antwerp that the Hollandic cities (led by Amsterdam ) would truly expand. Sup-regional centers From 1550 CE onwards a two trade hubs start to emerge which for the first time truly dominate the entirety of the Low Countries. The first is Antwerp, the second is Amsterdam. Antwerp-region 200px|Antwerp: the economic center of the Low Countries; c. 1540. After the silting of the river Zwin and the consequent decline of Bruges, the city of Antwerp, with its connection to the less silting-prone Scheldt, becomes of importance. At the end of the 15th century the foreign trading houses were transferred from Bruges to Antwerp. Fernand Braudel states that Antwerp became "the center of the entire international economy — something Bruges had never been even at its height." ( Braudel 1985 p. 143. ) Antwerp's "Golden Age" was tightly linked to the "Age of Exploration". Over the first half of the 16th century Antwerp grew to become the second largest European city north of the Alps by 1560. Antwerp experienced three booms during its golden age, the first based on the pepper market , a second launched by American silver coming from Seville (ending with the bankruptcy of Spain in 1557), and a third boom, after the stabilising Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis , in 1559 , based on the textiles industry . At the time of the Dutch revolt, Antwerp was considered to be the capital of the revolt; and the Dutch rebel army furiously tried to break the siege laid upon the city by the Spanish Army ; however Antwerp fell in 1585. Nearly half of its population fled north to the Hollandic cities giving a huge (monetary as well as in terms of population) impulse to these cities, a major event leading up to the Dutch Golden Age. Amsterdam-region The end of the Golden age saw Amsterdam diminish to the same level of economic importance as Antwerp. The latter had barely been able to establish itself as the Southern Netherlands' main center , continually pressured by Western Europe's new powerhouses: the much larger cities of Paris and London. It wasn't until after the Second World War that either city would again experience substantial growth. The post war Netherlands saw the formation of the Randstad, whereas in Flanders the Flemish diamond emerged. Today both regions, powered by the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp are agglomerating, as they are fuelling the hinterland: Germany's newly formed industries in the Ruhr.
The development of urban centers in the Low Countries shows the process by which the Low Countries , a region in Western Europe, evolved from a highly rural outpost of the Roman Empire into the largest urbanized area north of the Alps by the 15th century CE. As such, this article covers the development of Dutch and Flemish cities beginning at the end of the migration period till the end of the Dutch Golden Age. 150px|Objects found excavating the remains of Dorestad. The northern border of the Roman Empire, known as limes ad Germaniam inferiorem, was set at the Rhine in 47 AD. The border was protected with fortresses and the Low Countries became the outer provinces of the empire, situated near the Roman-Germanic border. Probably because of the (founded) fear of Germanic incursions, Roman settlements (such as Roman villas and colonies) were extremely sparse, and Roman presence was mainly limited to three Castra (Noviomagus, near modern Nijmegen; Flevum, near Velsen; and one near Oudenburg, the Latin name for which is unknown, as well as a set of Castellum ( one of which, Castellum Trajectum, would be the foundation of Utrecht). These together formed the only population centers which surpassed the native villages of the time in terms of architecture and, in some cases, population. The only possible exception was the city of Atuatuca Tungrorum, which later became one of the earliest centers of Christianity in the Low Countries. The first large settlements arose around (the ruins of) these Castra and Castellum . Very little is known about these settlements, apart from archeological remains , as there was little literacy at the time. Based on archeological evidence, together with sparsely preserved written text it is thought that Dorestad (build near the former Roman fortifications) was the most populous and important settlement of the region; with an estimated 3,000 inhabitants, it was much larger than the remaining villages, which often had no more than 100–150 inhabitants. Dorestad seems to have been the principal trading center of the Low Countries from around 600 CE until it started to decline in the early 9th century due to repeated Viking raids, Frisian-Frankish wars, the silting up of its waterways, and the emergence of new centers favoured by the Franks, such as Liège, Cambrai, Soissons, Herstal, Tournai and, most northerly , the neighbouring site of Nijmegen. In 696 the Frankish king Pippin II permitted the Anglo-Saxon missionary Willibrord, whom Pope Sergius I had appointed archbishop of the Frisians , to settle in Utrecht. Willibrord built a church dedicated to St. Martin in Utrecht and from there he converted some Frisians to Christianity, laying the basis for the city to become a major ecclesiastical center in the Low Countries. From around the 10th century, mainly due to population growth and improved infrastructure, a greater number of larger settlements began to appear. Around the 11th century, some of these towns began to form networks of urban centers. In the Low Countries these appeared in 3 regions; at first in the County of Flanders in the South, then followed by the County of Holland in the North and Northern Guelders/Oversticht in the East. Towns located in the center of the Low Countries were able to profit from the urban networks of both Flanders and Holland, without developing regional urban networks of their own . In the northern Low Countries, however, such as Frisia and Groningen , cities remained relatively isolated. Groningen is still nicknamed stad ("city") within its province , reflecting its position as the only city in the region as well as its isolation. Southern development The principal urban center in the County of Flanders was focused on the cities of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres. The textile industry flourished in this area , processing wool from England, and provided the region with enormous wealth, as well as attracting various other trades. The area was notorious for its civil uprisings. When the king of France added the county to his crown lands in 1297, this sparked a popular revolt culminating in the defeat of the French chivalric army by lowborn urban militias at the Battle of the Golden Spurs. By 1500 these cities had lost their leading position within the Low Countries to Antwerp , although they continued to play a less important role. In the East of the Low Countries, a number of towns aligned themselves with the Hanseatic cities that controlled the trade in and around the Baltic Sea. This resulted in a sudden economic boom for these cities , principally Zutphen, Kampen, Deventer, Elburg, Doesburg, Zwolle and their immediate surroundings. The boom was relatively shortlived, as merchants from Holland, Flanders and England merchants were ultimately successful at breaking into the Baltic trade themselves, ending the Hanseatic monopoly which had earned its members their wealth. Because of the comparatively short time of economic prosperity, these cities are notably smaller than for example the Flemish cities, and after Holland rose to economic supremacy around 1600, they found themselves in the hinterland of the Dutch economy. Western development In the 13th century the cities of Holland were less advanced than either their eastern or Flemish counterparts; for most of the 14th and 15th centuries the cities of Holland performed the role of intermediary between Flanders and trading partners oversees. Eventually they formed the bulk of the transport fleet sailing to Bruges and Ghent , which earned them considerable wealth and led to further expansion. It was not until the Fall of Antwerp that the cities of Holland (and Amsterdam in particular ) would truly expand. Supra-regional centers From around 1500 onwards two trade hubs started to emerge which for the first time truly dominated the entirety of the Low Countries. The first was Antwerp, the second was Amsterdam. Antwerp 200px|Antwerp: the economic center of the Low Countries; c. 1540. After the silting of the river Zwin and the consequent decline of Bruges, the city of Antwerp, with its connection to the less silting-prone Scheldt, becomes of importance. At the end of the 15th century the foreign trading houses were transferred from Bruges to Antwerp. Fernand Braudel states that Antwerp became "the center of the entire international economy – something Bruges had never been even at its height." Braudel 1985 p. 143. Antwerp's "Golden Age" was tightly linked to the "Age of Exploration". By 1560 Antwerp had grown to become the second largest European city north of the Alps . The city experienced three booms during its golden age, the first based on the pepper trade , a second launched by American silver coming from Seville (ending with the bankruptcy of Spain in 1557), and a third boom, after the stabilising Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis ( 1559 ), which was based on the textile trade . In the early stages of the Dutch revolt, Antwerp was considered to be the capital of the revolt; and the Dutch rebel army furiously but unsuccessfully sought to raise the siege of the city by the royal Army of Flanders. Nearly half of the city's population migrated after the siege, many to the cities of Holland, giving them a huge (monetary and demographic) boost, a significant factor in the Dutch Golden Age. Amsterdam The end of the Golden age saw Amsterdam diminish to the same level of economic importance as Antwerp. The latter had barely been able to establish itself as the main center of trade in the Southern Netherlands, continually under pressure from Western Europe's new powerhouses: the much larger cities of Paris and London. It wasn't until after the Second World War that either city would again experience substantial growth. The post-war Netherlands saw the formation of the Randstad, whereas in Flanders the Flemish diamond emerged. Today both regions, powered by the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp are agglomerating, as they are fuelling the hinterland: Germany's newly formed industries in the Ruhr.
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