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The Revolt of Ghent was an uprising by the citizens of Ghent against the regime of the Holy Roman Emperor and Spanish king Charles V in 1539. The revolt was a reaction to high taxes, which the Flemish felt were only used to fight wars abroad (in particular the Italian War of 1536–1538). The rebels surrendered without a fight when Charles marched his army into the city the following year. Charles humiliated the rebels by parading their leaders in undershirts with hangman nooses around their necks. Since then Ghent citizens informally call themselves "noose bearers". ==Background== 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. Ghent had a population of 40,000 to 50,000 people.〔(OPSTAND IN OUDENAARDE IN 1539-1540 ) pg 28〕 In 1515, Charles imposed upon Ghent the ''Calfvel'' treaty, which, among other things, prevented the guilds from selecting their own deans. In 1536, Charles went to war with the French king Francis I for control of northern Italy (the Italian War of 1536–1538). Charles asked Mary to raise money and conscripts from the Dutch provinces. 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. Flanders would have to pay a third of this. Ghent was already deep in debt due to fines imposed by its rulers in the previous century.〔(OPSTAND IN OUDENAARDE IN 1539-1540 ) pg 48〕 Ghent also had lucrative commercial ties to France. Ghent refused to pay the taxes on the grounds that old pacts with previous rulers meant that no tax could be levied on Ghent without its consent, though they did offer to supply troops in lieu of money. Mary tried haggling with Ghent's leaders, but Charles firmly insisted that Ghent pay its share without condition. Of the four Dutch provinces, Ghent was the only one to reject the new taxes. When the other Dutch provinces refused to support Ghent, Ghent secretly offered its allegiance to the French king Francis I in exchange for protection from Charles. Francis rejected Ghent's petition because Charles had insinuated that he might give Francis control over Milan when he abdicated (this did not happen). Francis apparently thought Milan was more valuable than Ghent, and so rejected Ghent's petition. In early 1539, Ghent threw a lavish rhetorician festival. The lavishness of the festival infuriated Charles' officials because Ghent justified its refusal to pay taxes on the grounds that it couldn't afford to. 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 Flemish count which purportedly gave Ghent the right to reject all taxation. The guildsmen believed that their city's past and its rights had been altered and misrepresented. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Revolt of Ghent (1539)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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