Revolt of Ghent (1539–1540)

[2] At this time, Ghent was subject to the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor and Spanish king Charles V, though it was his sister, Mary of Hungary, who actually governed the region as his regent.

Ghent and the Low Countries in general were an international center of trade and industry and therefore an important source of revenue.

[4] In early 1515, Charles imposed upon Ghent the Calfvel[a] edict, which, among other things, prevented the guilds from selecting their own deans.

In late March 1537, Mary declared a levy of 1.2 million guilders and an army of 30,000 conscripts along with munitions and artillery.

The lavishness of the festival infuriated Charles' officials because Ghent claimed it couldn't afford to pay its taxes.

[9] In July 1539, rumors spread that certain aldermen had tampered with documents in the city's archives that legitimized Ghent's autonomy.

In particular, the guilds were upset over the supposed theft of the Purchase of Flanders, a legendary document from a previous Flemish count which purportedly gave Ghent the right to reject all taxation.

[10] On 17 August 1539 a number of guilds—which included the millers, the cordwainers, the old shoemakers, the smiths, and the shipmakers—demanded the right to choose their own deans and the arrest of the city's aldermen, who they believed had capitulated to Mary's demands against their wishes.

[7] A 75-year-old retired alderman by the name of Lieven Pyn was executed on 28 August in part for supposedly tampering with documents that legitimized Ghent's autonomy.

[17] In late April, Charles decreed a new constitution, the Caroline Concession, that stripped Ghent of all its medieval legal and political freedoms, as well as all its weapons.

The old abbey of Saint Bavo's and its church of the Holy Savior were demolished to make way for a new fortress, the Castle of the Spaniards (Spanjaardenkasteel), which housed a permanent garrison.

[19] The work clock in the belfry was taken down, because it was a symbol of political defiance as it had been used to summon assemblies of workers to the city's main square (the Vrijdagmarkt).