The seat of the Counts of Flanders and the largest town in western Europe during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Ghent was at the heart of the Flemish cloth trade. By 1350, the city boasted a population of 50,000, of whom no less than 5000 were directly involved in the industry.
Edward III of England went to Ghent to be crowned king of France. His son John, duke of Lancaster, was called John of Gaunt because he was born there.
Flanders began the 14th Century by defeating the French and their local vassals in the Battle of the Golden Spurs. In the turbulent years that followed, Ghent was essentially ruled by guilds of tradesmen and their representatives. The guilds even maintained their own armies.