There was constant trouble between
the people of Ypres and their neighbours at Poperinghe. Sometimes
the weavers of Ypres, to enforce their exclusive privileges, marched
in arms against Poperinghe, and sometimes the men of Poperinghe
retaliated by attacking their powerful rivals. Houses were burnt,
looms were broken up, and lives were lost in these struggles, which
were so frequent that for a long time something like a chronic
state of war existed between the two places.
[Illustration: YPRES. Arcade under the Nieuwerk.]
Besides the troubles caused by the jealousy of other towns, intestine
disputes arising out of the perpetual contest between labour and
capital went on from year to year within the walls of Ypres. There,
as in the other Flemish towns, a sharp line was drawn between the
working man, by whose hands the linen was actually woven, and the
merchants, members of the Guilds, by whom it was sold. In these
towns, which maintained armies and made treaties of peace, and whose
friendship was sought by princes and statesmen, the artisans, whose
industry contributed so much to the importance of the community,
resented any infringement of their legal rights. By law the magistrates
of Ypres were elected annually, and because this had not been done
in 1361 the people rose in revolt against the authorities.
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