In 1481 Flanders passed under the rule of Austria (Marie, heiress of Burgundy, had married the Archduke Maximilian), then in 1558 under that of Spain. In 1559 it replaced Thérouanne as the centre of the diocese.
At that time it had lost much of its splendour. Towards the end of the 15th century it was depopulated by a dreadful pestilence, and about the middle of the following century, a second outbreak completed the ruin of the town. It was just beginning to recover when it was captured by the Gueux and the troops of the Duc d'Albe and Alexandre Farnèse, who massacred most of the inhabitants.
In the 17th century Ypres was taken by the French on four occasions—1648, 1649, 1658 and 1678—finally reverting to France under the Treaty of Nimègue at about the latter date. Vauban fortified it. Retaken by the Imperial Troops in 1715, Ypres was restored to France in 1792, and under the Empire became the capital of the Département of Lys. The treaties of 1815 gave it back to the Netherlands, and since 1830 it has formed part of the Kingdom of Belgium.
GERMAN BOMBARDMENT OF THE ASYLUM
In 1914 the population numbered 18,000. Its principal industries were the manufacture of woollen goods, printed cottons, linens, ribbons, and Valenciennes lace. Its tanneries and dye works were also of considerable importance. It was a clean, well-built town, watered by the river Yperlée. The many arms of the latter ran through the streets of the town, enabling the boats loaded with merchandise to come right up to the warehouses.
These waterways are now covered in. Formerly there was a path on each side of them, which explains the exceptional width of the streets and squares of Ypres.
