The English Naval Attack on Damme

• As Philip’s forces besieged Ghent, news arrived that the English fleet had struck a devastating blow at Damme, where Philip had stationed his invasion fleet.
• English forces captured many of Philip’s ships while the remaining vessels were trapped in the harbor under heavy blockade.
• With his naval forces effectively neutralized, Philip’s ability to move troops or supplies by sea was crippled.

The Cloth Hall of Ypres (Completed 1380)

• The Cloth Hall of Ypres, one of the largest medieval commercial buildings, reflected the city’s dominance in the cloth trade.
• It provided:
  • Storage and trading space for textiles, which were a major export product of Flanders.
  • Meeting areas for merchants to negotiate trade agreements.
• Like Bruges’ Town Hall, it featured a large belfry, signifying urban self-governance and economic power.

Economic and Political Context

• The late 14th century marked a peak in Flemish cloth manufacture and trade, with cities like Bruges, Ypres, and Ghent acting as major centers of production.
• The prominence of belfries in these structures mirrored the growing political autonomy of Flemish towns, which often functioned as semi-independent city-states within the feudal framework of the Low Countries.
• These urban centers maintained strong connections with England, importing raw wool for cloth production and exporting finished textiles to European markets.

Legacy and Influence

• The Bruges Town Hall and the Ypres Cloth Hall remain landmarks of Flemish civic architecture, symbolizing the commercial and municipal power of medieval Flanders.
• Their belfries became models for later town halls across Belgium and northern France, reinforcing the tradition of strong, trade-driven urban centers.

The construction of these grand civic buildings (1376–1380) reflected the prosperity of the Flemish cloth trade, establishing Bruges and Ypres as dominant forces in medieval European commerce.

Farnese conquers three more strategic positions in the first half of 1584, thus cutting off Antwerp from the sea.

Ypres and ...

...the French troops limit themselves to a loose blockade of Ypres and ...

...Ypres, and ...

Pichegru, after a lull during which he feigns a siege of Ypres, ...