As Bruges grew out of the rude fortress on the banks of the Roya,
so Ypres developed from a stronghold built, probably about the year
900, on a small island in the river Yperlee. It was triangular
in shape, with a tower at each corner, and was at first known by
the inhabitants of the surrounding plain as the 'Castle of the
Three Towers.' In course of time houses began to appear on the
banks of the river near the island. A rampart of earth with a ditch
defended these, and as the place grew, the outworks became more
extensive. Owing to its strategic position, near France and in a
part of Flanders which was constantly the scene of war, it was of
great importance; and probably no other Flemish town has seen its
defences so frequently altered and enlarged as Ypres has between
the primitive days when the Crusading Thierry d'Alsace planted
hedges of live thorns to strengthen the towers, and the reign of
Louis XIV., when a vast and elaborate system of fortifications
was constructed on scientific principles, under the direction of
Vauban.
The citizens of Ypres took a prominent part in most of the great
events which distinguished the heroic period of Flemish history. In
July, 1302, a contingent of 1,200 chosen men, '500 of them clothed
in scarlet and the rest in black,' were set to watch the town and
castle of Courtrai during the Battle of the Golden Spurs, and in
the following year the victory was celebrated by the institution
of the Confraternity of the Archers of St.
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