City status in Belgium is granted to a select group of municipalities by a royal decree or by an act of law.
As the nobility strengthened their power over regions in feudal Europe, they bestowed on towns the rights to organize annual fairs, levy tolls or build walls and other defense works.
This was imposed upon the Belgian provinces by order of the French Convention Nationale on 2 Brumaire Year II (23 October 1793).
At the time of Dutch rule and incorporation into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830), some towns recovered their city title.
On 30 May 1825, a royal decree was published and included the list of the towns that were granted the title.